A couplet is a poetic composition.
A copla is a poetic text organized as a seguidilla and where a romance quatrain or a redondilla can also be seen, among other possibilities. This composition usually serves as a model to give content to popular songbooks.
Specifically, the word copla , originating from the Latin word copula (understood in Spanish as “union” or “link” ), is used to refer to a metric structure . For example: “I've spent the whole night listening to songs in the bar” , “Doña María drinks a few drinks and starts singing songs” , “The town is mentioned in several popular songs” .
Origin of the copla
It began to be cultivated during the 18th century in Spain and was later spread in various places around the world , achieving great popularity in Latin America. They are made up of four stanzas that may contain octosyllabic verses, such as the romance (where the second and fourth verses rhyme) or the redondilla (where the first and fourth rhyme and so do the second with the third) or eptosyllabic and pentasyllabic verses. interspersed, like the seguidilla (where the second and fourth verses rhyme).
The metric structure resembles the copla to the romance (one of the most frequent genres of Spanish poetry). Antonio Machado , Rafael Alberti , Luis de Góngora and Federico García Lorca are some of the authors who approached these poetic possibilities.
It should be noted that many couplets were adopted by the towns, losing the name of their authors and becoming part of the popular songbook . Coplas tend to become popular as they appeal to colloquial and direct language, sometimes with double meaning comments to produce a comic effect.
The Andalusian copla emerged in the 1940s.
Its importance in Andalusia
The type of song that spread in Spain starting in the ' 40s is known as Andalusian copla . It usually deals with passion and emotions. Those who perform them stand out for their powerful voice, with mastery of vibrato, and they emphasize the Andalusian accent (although the performer has a different origin).
Unfortunately, during Franco's dictatorship, this art was used as a synonym for national identity and was inevitably associated with the regime, although its origins had little to do with it.
This led to the people in the transition period getting rid of this characteristic music, to express their rebellion regarding what happened in recent decades in the country; In this way, the copla was relegated to the side and Anglo-Saxon music came to take its place, stealing all popularity .
Some of the authors who stood out the most in this genre were Manuel Quiroga , Antonio Quintero and Rafael de León . During the 80 's many singer-songwriters regained their interest in the copla , getting many people to do so as well. To this day, some authors fuse this style with different musical trends. Among the singers who have cultivated it are Lola Flores, Miguel de Molina, Sara Montiel, Pasión Vega and Pastora Soler .
In this genre, passionate, sad and emotional stories are told; They are characterized by having an absolutely narrative character that is mixed with musicality to express profound experiences of human encounters and disagreements. It is made up of a meter structured as follows: ABCB , meaning that the second and last stanzas have the same number of syllables and a similar rhyme .
Over the years many couplets have gained marked popularity , among them we can mention “María de la O” by León y Valverde ; "Torre de Arena" by Gordillo , Sarmiento and Llabrés ; and "La Zarzamora" and "La Niña de Fuego" by Quintero , León and Quiroga .