Alegrías is the best known form in a family of lively, vibrant songs known as Cantiñas. Cantiñas developed during the Peninsular War in the early 19th Century when Spanish partisans gathered on the Atlantic coast near Cádiz to launch the first attacks against Napoleon. The music of Cádiz blended with jotas from Aragón, and the Cantiñas and its variations were born: Cantiñas, Alegrías, Mirabrás, Caracoles and Romeras. The Alegrías emerged as the most popular version in this style. If you hear a flamenco singer announce “Ahora, algo de Ca’i.” (Now, something from Cadíz) you know s/he is going to sing some form of an Alegrias. Alegrías is a fairly simple song form and its major tonality is familiar to anyone raised on Western music.  However, it is also one of the most complicated dance forms in flamenco, with numerous sections and changes in tempo, mood and phrase structure.