El Compás Flamenco: A Phylogenetic Analysis

The amenc o music of Andalucia in Southern Spain is characterized by hand clapping patterns in which the underlying meter is manifested through accented claps. A phylogenetic analysis of the v e 12/8 time metric timelines used in Flamenco music is presented using two distance measures: the chronotonic distance of Gustafson and a new distance measure called the directed swap distance. The results support several established musicological tenets. For example, the fandango and sole a are \centers" of this family of rhythmic patterns. More surprisingly, the chronotonic distance gives the Cuban (Sub-Saharan African) inuenced guajira a prominent position. Finally, the directed swap distance yields an interesting \ancestral" rhythm.

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