Vigüela (strumming) is a group dedicated to preserving and celebrating the folk music of central Spain. Since its formation in the mid-1980s, the group has focused on reviving traditional styles such as jota, seguidilla, fandango, and son, bringing them to international prominence with authenticity and artistic precision.
Vigüela’s approach to traditional music stems from a deep respect for its origins. Founding member Juan Antonio Torres recalls a pivotal moment with Tía Chata, a renowned jota singer from Toledo, taught him that true mastery of folk styles requires more than academic training. Indeed, it demands immersion in generational interpretation. Her unique playing techniques became a foundation for Vigüela’s sound, connecting tradition to modern audiences.
The group’s mission goes beyond performance. Vigüela aims to sustain an intergenerational connection through music, passing down the interpretive nuances of folk styles that embody emotional depth and cultural storytelling. Their work resonates with audiences of all ages, ensuring these traditions remain vibrant and relevant.
Vigüela has performed at prestigious festivals like WOMAD UK, Norway’s Forde Festival, and Germany’s Klangkosmos series, while also conducting workshops worldwide. Their music, often improvised and rooted in its natural context, transcends ethnographic appeal, focusing on its intrinsic artistic quality.
Their 2016 album, Temperamento was released internationally through ARC Music, a label known for promoting world music. It was praised for its authenticity and its preservation of rural traditions, showcasing polyrhythms, melisma, and free-form passages with sensitivity and sincerity.
A Tiempo Real (2019) achieved the number one spot on the Transglobal World Music Chart, solidifying Vigüela’s reputation as global ambassadors of Iberian folk music. Additionally, their albums topped the Iberian Roots Music Chart in 2024 and the Transglobal World Music Chart in 2018 and 2022.
A Tiempo Real is a double album, offering nearly 100 minutes of traditional folk music. The album serves both as a musical project and a cultural preservation effort, presenting Spanish folk music as it is performed in villages, homes, and celebrations, primarily from the Castilla-La Mancha region in central Spain.
Vigüela’s performance includes a diverse range of instruments, such as two small guitarros manchegos, castanets, frame drums, the friction drum (zambomba), folk guitars, triangles, the one-stringed rebeq, lutes, jars, bottles, mortars, and frying pans. The album provides an intimate exploration of village life, preserving traditions, values, and stories through music. In Spanish folk culture, music traditionally played a central role in community gatherings rather than on stage.
The custom of ronda, or singing while walking through the streets, is featured in songs like ‘El Ramo / Palillo Verde / Allá en La Habana’ (The Bouquet / Little Green Stick / Over There in Havana). Allá en La Habana was traditionally sung on Christmas Eve in El Carpio de Tajo and includes verses brought back by soldiers returning from the Spanish-Cuban war at the end of the 19th century.
Several tracks are drawn from the village of El Carpio de Tajo, such as the folk song ‘Echa la soga al barco’ (Throw the Rope to the Boat), associated with the zambomba tradition. In El Carpio de Tajo, only the first verse of the song was known, so Vigüela added two new verses. ‘Malagueña sorda de Javi de Nerpio’ features guest guitarist Javier Gómez García (Javi de Nerpio) and is performed with guitarro manchego, castanets, and tambourine.
In ‘El demonio el calderero’ (The Demon Coppersmith), a surprise element of village life is captured, depicting a coppersmith with a glass eye. Similarly, ‘A mi puerta llaman por fandangos’ (They Come to My Door in Fandangos) reflects the essence of A Tiempo Real with a fandango melody starting on the first beat. The lyrics describe the charm of the village’s natural springs and the importance of music in community life.
Marcela Palomo, a local singer and mother of Viguela’s lead singer María del Rosario Nieto Palomo, taught the band the beloved regional song ‘El pájaro ya voló’ (The Bird Has Already Flown), performed in its traditional form from Castilla-La Mancha.
The album also highlights forgotten gems like ‘Flor del virulé’ (Flower of Virulé), a song typically sung during Christmas in Campo Arañuelo, northwest Toledo.
Traditional dances from various regions of Spain are featured, such as the seguidilla from Arroyo de la Luz on ‘Pandero arroyano por seguidillas’ (Seguidillas with Frame Drum in the Style of Arroyo de la Luz). This track reflects the band’s careful interpretation of melodies collected by ethnomusicologists Don Manuel García Matos and Alan Lomax in the 1950s, combining the traditional style with Toledo’s local expressions.
‘Malagueña a tres del dos’ (Malagueña in Trios of Two) is performed in three distinct styles, two of which were created by María del Rosario Nieto Palomo and Juan Antonio Torres from El Carpio de Tajo.
Vigüela’s reputation for intimate, face-to-face performances is highlighted by their participation in the WOMAD UK 2017 festival. At this event, they performed on the BBC Radio 3 stage and led traditional Spanish dance sessions for festivalgoers.
The lineup on A Tiempo included Carmen Torres Delgado – vocals, percussion (castanets, tambourines, mortars, cauldron, cane, clapping, triangle); María del Rosario Nieto Palomo – vocals, percussion (mortars, frying pan, tambourines, clapping); Juan Antonio Torres Delgado – vocals, rebec, guitar, percussion (zambomba, frame drum, mortars, bottle, triangle, jar); Luis García Valera – vocals, guitar, guitarro manchego, lutes, percussion (tambourines, mortar, triangle); Javier Gómez García – vocals, lutes, guitarro manchego, guitar, percussion (castanets, tambourines); Eduardo Gómez-Olmedo Moreno – vocals, guitar, lutes.
In 2024, Vigüela released the album We, recorded at Jenny Records in Toledo (April–May 2024). The songs included:
La Tía Pitita, Features melodies inspired by Murcian styles, particularly “Peretas,” played on violin by Jonatan Mateos. Includes traditional lyrics and newly composed melodies.
Instrumentation: Guitars, guitarro, violin, castanets, tambourine, cymbals, and vocals.
Herenciana y Garterana, Two dance forms—seguidillas (Herenciana) and rondeña (Garterana)—from Toledo’s Campana de Oropesa region, adapted from traditional recordings. Instrumentation: Guitars, violin, mortar, bottle, and choir.
Sones Garteranos con Tumbao. A suite showcasing traditional rabel melodies from Lagartera, inspired by Alan Lomax’s recordings and modern adaptations by Heliodoro Pulido. Instrumentation: Harmonic rabel, mortar, bottle, frying pan, friction drum, and choir.
La Pava. A cumulative-style song from Toledo’s zambomba repertoire, narrating a humorous progression of acquisitions. Instrumentation: Harmonic rabel, friction drum, mortar, bottle, frying pan, and vocals.
El Dote de Inesilla y el Brillante. A reinterpretation of melodies collected by Alan Lomax in 1952 from Arroyo de la Luz, Cáceres. Instrumentation: Solo vocals.
Caminan para Alemania. Based on the traditional ballad “Romance del Mozo Arriero y los Siete Ladrones,” from El Carpio de Tajo’s son de la zambomba repertoire. Instrumentation: Mortar, bottle, friction drum, solo vocals, and choir.
Bailables al Son. Danceable son melodies blending traditional and original compositions, maintaining the rhythm and style of the son genre.
Instrumentation: Harmonic rabel, cauldron, mortar, bottle, fire shovel, and choir.
Seguidillas van por tu Calle. Fast-paced seguidillas from Miguel Esteban, Toledo, inspired by 1959 recordings. Instrumentation: Guitars, guitarro, violin, castanets, bottle, and vocals.
El Fandanguillo de Infantes. A fandanguillo, a relative of the fandango, sung and played in the style of Villanueva de los Infantes. Instrumentation: Guitars, guitarro, castanets, hand claps, and vocals.
We (Corraleras de Lebrija). Adaptation of melodies from Sevillanas by Carlos Saura, combining traditional and original lyrics. Instrumentation: Solo vocals, choir, mortar, tambourine, and clapping.
The lineup in 2023 included Juan Antonio Torres on guitar, zambomba, rabel, hand percussion, vocals; David Mollón on guitar, guitarro, chorus; Jonatan Mateos on violin; Carmen Torres on hand percussion, vocals; and María Nieto hand percussion, vocals.
Discography:
Cantes del pueblo de El Carpio de Tajo (Sonifolk, 1986)
Las Pascuas (Sonifolk)
Rondas y jotas de boda de Candeleda (Sonifolk)
Son, sones y soniquetes (Luis Martín Díez)
El Aguardiente y el agualimón (Vigüela)
Entre tonadas (Vigüela)
Temperamento – Traditional Music from Spain (ARC Music, 2016)
A Tiempo Real – A New Take on Spanish Tradition (ARC Music, 2018)
A la manera artesana (ARC Music, 2022)
We (Mapamundi Música, 2024)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.