Preludes of Flamenco. Gypsies and dance in the Spanish documents of the Fraser Collection at the University of Leeds.

Located among the resources of the Special Collection of the Brotherton Library of the University, is the major collection of documents about the Gypsy people that is preserved outside Spain. The Spanish section of Sir Angus Fraser archive (a Scottish scholar fascinated by the Gypsy culture, who acquired this documentation) consists of about 150 documents, which include printed works and manuscript papers from the 17th and 18th centuries. The speech will focus on the materials of this section related to dance, with the aim of exploring some of the aspects of the complex relation between the musical world and the Gypsy ethnic group, in an attempt to reach a better comprehension of the genesis of the flamenco culture and its development.

This conference will be delivered by the postdoctoral researcher of the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (SPLAS) of the University of Leeds, Massimo Aresu. It will delve into the roots of flamenco through the valuable materials available at the University of Leeds.

 

This conference is part of the I Yorkshire Flamenco Cultural Week, hosted by the Instituto Cervantes of Leeds, with the aim of promoting the flamenco culture in United Kingdom.