Cante jondo (Spanish: [ˈkante ˈxondo]) is a vocal style in flamenco, an unspoiled form of Andalusian folk music.
It is generally considered that the common traditional classification of flamenco music is divided into three groups of which the deepest, most serious forms are known as cante jondo.
Lorca had evidently used the title Poema del cante jondo [es] for a 1921 collection of poems, although he did not publish it for ten years.
The following is translated from the conference notes by Lorca: The cante jondo approaches the rhythm of the birds and the natural music of the black poplar and the waves; it is simple in oldness and style.
It is also a rare example of primitive song, the oldest of all Europe, where the ruins of history, the lyrical fragment eaten by the sand, appear live like the first morning of its life.