Music of Spain
The people of Spain have been influenced by a variety of cultures. In turn, the various cultures have provided an influence on Spanish music. This cultural diversity has been the foundation that supported the development of Spanish music and the effects have influenced the type of instruments and the dance for each period of history. This is why Spanish music has different regional characteristics and yet has a strong similarity.
In early times, the chants and religious music of the churches formed the bases for the music, but the medieval songs brought a change to this art. As history evolved the basic music changed also. In the 16th century, the guitar was introduced and became the backbone for the different types music to follow, such as opera, folk and popular music. The northern areas of Galicia and Asturia have the wonderful lively music created by the bagpipes, called the Gaita. This music can be moody as well. The bagpipes create high-varied sounds that accompany the chant-based songs found in these northern regions. (more…)