The cuplé scene in the year of the “Concurso de Cante Jondo” (1922)

Abstract

When the “Concurso de Cante Jondo” (Granada, 1922) was held, there were many who praised it for fighting against the adulterated and heterodox fashions of the café cantante and cuplé.
In this text I will offer an overview of the cuplé scene in Spain at the time of the Concurso, focusing on the programming in order to gain a better understanding of the reality of the cuplé at that precise moment. In this way, we will be able to understand what were the predominant tastes and aesthetics in the commercial circuits, and at the same time comprehend the reasons that led the intellectuals involved in the “Concurso de Cante Jondo” to reject the cuplé while collaborating with some of its most outstanding representatives, such as Pastora Imperio or la Argentinita.