From its inception, phonography approached flamenco music and musicians—with reports of recordings from as early as 1880—long before it blossomed into an industry. Far from being a mere complement in professional development, sound recording has acted as a great spur to creativity, facilitating the emergence of new flamenco styles and genres that otherwise might not have appeared. As such, phonography has been not only a means to preserve and spread the flamenco repertoire, de-locating the learning process, but also a fertile way to increase it.

This article first highlights the added values of recordings in flamenco, in contrast to their role in classical or academic music, as well as the relevance they have acquired in recent research of flamenco singing. In this respect, an updated compilation of early flamenco phonography outlines the important gap in the digital reissuing of this rich heritage. Finally, in order to illustrate phonography’s value as a research tool, the article traces the origins of the Tiento, challenging the prevalent notion that it is merely a slower variant of the current Tango Flamenco, and proving that its lineage comes from the Tanguillo de Cádiz.

Keywords: flamenco, phonography, recordings, digital reissuing, Tiento, Tanguillo de Cádiz.