1876 Facts About Sherry by Henry Vizetelly

Facts about Sherry.

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Andalusian town. The room was dimly lit up by a few feeble lamps, wbieb gave scarcely more light than the moon itself shining through the open "window. The performers,three men and a woman,the latter in a light muslin gO'wn, were posted in the pit itself. The audience, -with occasional exceptions, belonged to the gipsy race,and the appearance among them of a trio of Englishmen caused considerable sensation,and even led to the reinforcement of the few municipal guards told off to preserve the peace at the entertainment. The singing of the men was highly characteristic, and very much after the Arab style. Afew wordsin a half-Spanish,hah-Gritano dialect, sung in a high-pitched and somewhat melancholy key,were succeeded by a pause filled up by some weird notes ofthe guitar, the audience keeping time by loudly clapi^ing their hands, and indulging in frenzied acclamations of delight whenever any favourite passage caught the ear. The singing was varied from time to time bythe woman dancing one of those slow, languid, semi-voluptuous movements common in the East,-with the guitar accompanying each successive motion of her flexible frame.

AEBIVAI, OF IttriES WITH GHAFES AT TUB LAGAE.