Spanish Gypsy Dance (España Cañí)
Pasodoble
España cañí (meaning "Gypsy Spain" in Spanish) is a famous instrumental Spanish piece of pasodoble music by Pascual Marquina Narro (1873–1948). The song was written around 1923 and first recorded in 1926. In English it is also known as the Spanish Gypsy Dance.
Its main refrain (eight bars of arpeggiated chords that go from E major to F major (with added 4 instead of 5) to G major and back) is arguably the best known snippet of Spanish music and is popular worldwide.[citation
Several arrangements of the tune are often used for the Latin Paso Doble dance (to the point that, among Latin dancers, it is known as "the paso doble song" as it is very commonly played in competition due to the common custom for the choreography to match the phrasing and accents of the music for the full effect of the dance).
Siempre fue cañí, poesía en flor,
esta España de mujeres bellas
con fuego en los ojos
que enciende pasión.
En el Albaicín gitano,
que es un derroche de luz,
son las zambras de las cuevas,
un místico cuadro andaluz.
El calé y la bailaora
y el mocito cantaor
dan a la fiesta andaluza
mayestático fulgor.
Fiesta gitana,
gentil cuadro de España... cañí.
Admirando a to' lo gitano
en sus cuadros sin igual,
Julio Romero evoca
el ambiente y el cantar.
Es de España Andalucía
un crisol de oro y un lindo vergel
donde palpita la vida
de ese pueblo hispano que nos vio nacer.
Ésta es mi España, la tierra más bravía.
¡España cañí!