Duende in Flamenco

The RAE (Real Academia Española) defines duende as “mysterious and ineffable (indescribable) charm.”

That makes it completely clear then, right? I say that with much sarcasm of course… What does it mean when the definition states that it’s “mysterious” and basically “indefinable?”

That echos the sentiment of Lorca when he wrote that duende is “A mysterious force that everyone feels and no philosopher has explained.” So it appears that neither philosophers nor the dictionary can offer a good definition or explanation.

Lorca then proceeded to give an entire presentation about what duende is. And since then, much has been written and studied into the topic.

With that said, here is our best effort of a concise definition/explanation of duende.

   Duende: Something that is expressed from the depth of the artist’s soul that invokes an emotional response from the audience conveying a sense of shared humanity.

Another great example of an artist with duende was Lola Flores. Known as 'La Faraona’ (the female pharaoh), she was a singer, dancer, actress and artist. Undoubtedly, she is also a flamenco icon. The New York Times once said about her: "she can't dance, she can't sing, but you can’t miss her.”

Singer Pepe el Lebrijano is often quoted for having said of himself: "on days when I sing and I have it, no one can beat me."

Even though flamenco artists are always in the search of duende, it’s particularly known for its elusive nature. The duende is an innate quality that can’t be cultivated through studying or training. An artist might have perfect technic but still no duende.

   According to Lorca, authentic art only happens when the three elements come together: wisdom, inspiration and duende.

The duende is, therefore, a quality that some performers come to possess during certain performances. But it isn’t a technical ability. Also, duende isn’t something that once achieved, is preserved forever. It just appears on specific occasions. It is like being in the zone.

Lorca explained that the duende isn’t in the throat of the singer but surges up from deep inside. It’s not a question of skill, it’s in the veins.

In his 1933 conference, García Lorca affirmed that all arts are capable of awakening the duende. However, it’s more characteristic of music, dance and spoken poetry because these require interpretation and duende is, in the end, a shared emotion.

Sticking to music, it’s easier to find the duende in the styles characterized by emotional intensity such as blues.

Australian music artist Nick Cave has also discussed his interpretation of duende. He said: “Bob Dylan has always had it. Leonard Cohen deals specifically in it. It pursues Van Morrison like a black dog and though he tries to he cannot escape it. Tom Waits and Neil Young can summon it.”

There have been several modern studies trying to understand and explain duende in a more scientific way.

In 2015, Granada psychologist Elvira Salazar López, published her research work entitled 'La huella psicológica del duende flamenco’ (The psychological imprint of the flamenco duende). Its aim was to quantify and explain the duende from a psychological and physiological point of view.

They discovered temperature changes in specific parts of the body which seem to be connected to it.

In 2022, Andalusian neurologists Jesús Romero Imbroda and Cristóbal Carnero Pardo published a study called 'Arte flamenco y neurociencia: en busca del duende' (Flamenco art and neuroscience: in search of the duende).

The experienced intensity of emotions during a flamenco performance sometimes culminate in pleasurable sensations such as “chills” that may indicate the release of endorphins. This could be the neuroscientific basis of what we call “duende”.