La Casa de la Guitarra: the one-hour flamenco show
An hour of dance, song and guitar in an 18th-century house in Santa Cruz, with the guitar collection included.
A house, a quarter and a guitar
Why the guitar gets a house of its own
A quarter with a long history
Santa Cruz was Seville's Jewish quarter in the Middle Ages, Wikipedia says, and visitors now treat it as the city's main district to explore. The cathedral and the Giralda stand inside it, and the Real Alcázar sits on its edge. La Casa de la Guitarra occupies an 18th-century house in the heart of the quarter.
A house with a founder
The house was founded by the flamenco guitarist José Luis Postigo. Spanish Wikipedia lists two prizes he won in 1983: the Manolo de Huelva prize at the national flamenco contest in Córdoba and the national guitar prize of the Cátedra de Flamencología in Jerez.
Toque has outgrown its supporting role
UNESCO's record for flamenco says toque, the art of the guitar, has long gone beyond simply accompanying. A venue that puts guitars on its walls and a guitarist's name on its door is a fair place to hear what that means.
Seville made flamenco professional
In 1881, says Wikipedia's article on flamenco, Seville gained its first café devoted to flamenco singers, opened by Silverio Franconetti, and rivalry between such cafés helped form the professional singer. The guitarists who played in them are part of the same story.
Start to finish
The hour in three parts
Show and guitars come as one ticket; the start time is fixed per date in the booking calendar.
- Before
The guitars first
The house keeps guitars on display, and the ticket includes access to the collection. Travellers who have been describe assigned seats, so there is little to gain from queueing early. Food and drink are not part of the evening, so eat beforehand or afterwards.
- During
One hour on a small stage
Before the music starts, there is a brief introduction to flamenco. Travellers who have been describe a guitarist, a singer and a dancer, with the dancer stepping out in two spells between long passages of guitar and song.
- After
Back out into Santa Cruz
The doorway opens onto Calle Mesón del Moro, inside the quarter. The lanes around it, the Plaza de Santa Cruz and the cathedral's Giralda tower give the walk home a natural route.
Listen for
Six things to listen for
A flamenco piece rests on a palo, a style with its own rhythm and mood. With the guitar at the centre of this house, these six are worth knowing. Nothing here is guaranteed for any particular night.
- Toque
The guitar as a voice
A guitarist in flamenco is a tocaor, and the playing is toque. Wikipedia says the player sets the tonality, the compás and the tempo, then fills the gaps between verses. Listen for who leads whom.
- Falseta
The guitar's own sentence
A falseta is a melodic interlude, played between verses. When the singer stops and the guitar speaks alone for a few bars, you are hearing one.
- Rasgueado
The strum
Rasgueado means strumming with outward flicks of the right-hand fingers, usually three to five of them. It is the sound that gives a flamenco guitar its drive and its edge.
- Alegrías
Bright, from Cádiz
Alegrías began in Cádiz and runs on a twelve-beat cycle. A dancer works through set sections in it, opening with an entrance, the salida, and finishing with a bulerías, according to Wikipedia. Traditional alegrías is among the music the show is billed with.
- Bulerías
The fast one
A twelve-beat rhythm from Jerez, played at around 195 to 240 beats a minute according to Wikipedia. It allows the most room for improvisation and often brings a flamenco gathering to its end.
- Seguiriyas
The deep one
A style of the cante jondo family, with texts on tragic subjects such as death and imprisonment. Wikipedia calls it one of the hardest styles to accompany, which makes the guitar's part worth watching.
What the artists play is theirs to choose and to change, so read these as pointers for the ear rather than a set list.
On the ticket
What the ticket covers
Before you choose a night, settle these six points.
- The show
- One hour of flamenco at La Casa de la Guitarra, Calle Mesón del Moro 12, with dance, singing and guitar.
- The collection
- Access to the guitars kept in the house is part of the ticket.
- Seating
- Travellers describe assigned seats. The venue's own site presents the room as limited in capacity.
- Not allowed
- Video recording is not allowed, and neither are alcohol and drugs. The ticket buys no food or drink.
- Access
- The ticket is wheelchair accessible, and the venue's site lists the house as accessible.
- Changing plans
- Cancel before the 24-hour mark and the whole fare comes back. A seat can also be reserved now and paid for later.
Santa Cruz, street by street
Streets around the house
A street corner by the Giralda, Calle Susona, a doorway to a patio, a plaza with a plaque, Calle Dean Miranda and a fountain patio, all in or beside the quarter around the house.
Show or class
The show and the class side by side
| Option | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Show at La Casa de la Guitarra | This page's ticket: one hour of live flamenco in an 18th-century house in Santa Cruz, with access to the guitar collection. | Anyone who wants to sit and listen, with the guitar at the centre |
| Flamenco dance class with optional costume | The second card: a one-hour beginners' lesson in a Seville studio, with a shawl or scarf and flower or hat lent for the class. | Visitors who would rather move than watch, or want to do both on one trip |
Choose your evening
Flamenco in Seville: two ways in
Card one is the hour of flamenco described above, in the guitar house. Card two takes another route into the art: a beginners' dance class at a studio in town.
Flamenco dance class with optional costume
A one-hour beginners' lesson in a Seville studio, with shawl or scarf accessories lent for the class.
More Seville evenings
Before you go
Planning the evening
- 1
Where it is
La Casa de la Guitarra is at Calle Mesón del Moro 12, 41004 Seville, in the Santa Cruz quarter. A map app finds it from the street name.
- 2
Getting there
The cathedral stands in Santa Cruz and the Alcázar borders it, so leave a few spare minutes to find the door on foot.
- 3
Arriving
Your confirmation names the start for your date. Reviewers mention assigned seats, so nobody wins anything by queueing early.
- 4
Eating and drinking
The ticket brings no food and no drink. Fit dinner and a glass in before or after the show, somewhere in the quarter.
- 5
Rules in the room
No video recording and no alcohol or drugs. The house is listed as accessible and the ticket is wheelchair accessible.
- 6
Changing plans
Free cancellation stays open until 24 hours before the start, and a seat can be reserved without paying up front, so a date need not be final.
More on the house and the guitar
Six guides to the guitar house
- What the ticket covers
Casa de la Guitarra show
What a Casa de la Guitarra flamenco ticket covers in Seville's Santa Cruz: the one-hour show, the guitar collection, seats, rules and how to book it. Read the guide → - What you will hear
Flamenco guitar basics
How the flamenco guitar works for a first-time listener: toque, the instrument, its techniques, falsetas and compás, and what to hear in a one-hour show. Read the guide → - The house and its guitars
Inside the guitar house
The house on Calle Mesón del Moro: founder José Luis Postigo, the guitar collection, an arch said to be twelfth-century and a plaque for Silverio Franconetti. Read the guide → - Seville and the guitar
Seville's guitar story
How Seville shaped the guitar behind flamenco: Antonio de Torres's workshop, the first singers' café, Niño Ricardo, and the road from accompanist to soloist. Read the guide → - Before or after the show
A Santa Cruz walk
Places to look for in Seville's Santa Cruz quarter around a flamenco evening: the cathedral and Giralda, Plaza de Santa Cruz, Mateos Gago, two old synagogues. Read the guide → - Words you will hear
Flamenco glossary
A short glossary of the flamenco words you may hear at a guitar show in Seville: cante, baile, toque, palo, compás, palmas, falseta and the guitar's terms. Read the guide →
FAQ
What people ask before booking
How long does the performance last?
Sixty minutes. Each date on the booking calendar shows when it begins.
Where is La Casa de la Guitarra?
At Calle Mesón del Moro 12, 41004 Seville, in the Santa Cruz quarter near the cathedral.
Does the ticket include the guitar collection?
Yes. Access to the collection of guitars kept in the house comes with the show ticket.
Does the price include food or a drink?
Neither. The fare buys the show and the collection, and alcohol and drugs are on the not-allowed list.
Can I film the show?
No. Video recording is not allowed.
How are seats allocated?
Travellers describe assigned seats and say there is no need to arrive early to secure a place.
Can wheelchair users go?
Wheelchair users are catered for: the ticket carries that listing, and the house's own website calls the building accessible.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancel before the 24-hour mark for a full refund; the seat can be held without paying today.
One hour of flamenco guitar, song and dance in a Santa Cruz house that keeps its own guitar collection.
Book the Casa de la Guitarra show ↗Choose a date and the fare converts to the currency you prefer.