Folk music as defined by Merriam Webster is the traditional music of the people in a country or region. When people think about the music of Spain, most often flamenco comes to mind. For a country that has been occupied since prehistoric times, the history of its music is much deeper than flamenco, which only began circa early 19th century in the south of Spain. My father hails from the northwest corner of Spain known as Galicia. Some may argue that you cannot understand Spain or Galicia at all without understanding the music.
Muslims occupied Spain until the 1400’s when the courts and Catholic church were unified under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. During this period documentation of music known as ‘cancioñeros’ was developed. It was ‘anthologies of Peninsular poetry with or without musical notations, collections of polyphonic art songs, and orally transmitted texts and tunes (Katz).’ These cancioñeros were analyzed to determine texture, modality, as well as rhythmic and metric structure. It is uncertain based on the text if they were original compositions. What is certain is that composers and poets of the era were usually the same person.
There is evidence from the cancioñeros that many instruments used in Spain during the 15th century have survived the test of time. This includes the gaita, the pandeireta (tambourine), the accordion, drums, and castanets. Castanets are a percussion instrument made of hollowed wood and hinged by a cord. The gaita is a variation of bagpipes typically used in Galicia. It is a woodwind bass drone with a reserve air bag worn over the left shoulder. It can have one to three drones. All of the above-mentioned instruments accompanied both secular and non-secular folk music.
Spain is one hundred and eighty-four thousand square miles with an average altitude of two thousand feet. Spain has apparent regional distinctions. The mountains of the land serve as natural borders. The geography of the land is important as it affects the culture. Galicia is literally different not only culturally but linguistically.
Galicia’s folk music is a fundamental element of the culture. One instrument specific to the area is the scallop shell. It is a symbol of the famous pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the apostle James’ tomb is located. They are constructed in one of two ways; two shells are bound together by a string and played like castanets or multiple shells are strung together and jingled like keys.
I traveled to Spain many summers as a child and adolescent. Family is the hallmark of Spain’s society. Every celebration, big and small, involves singing songs. These songs cannot be heard on the radio, but rather are passed down from generation to generation. They are sometimes considered vulgar. Folk songs of Galicia began as bar songs when people were intoxicated, but later they were created by sailors or their wives about homesickness or as we call it ‘morriña.’ As discussed earlier, regional differences were and are important to the culture. Galicia is surrounded by water on two sides and the main industry that allows the economy to thrive is fishing. Fishing and being at sea for long periods of time brought plight. The plight influenced the music. The music has survived post industrialism up until this past summer when I visited for the first time in twenty years.
The most well-known folk song which is now known as the anthem of Galicia is ‘Rianxeira.’ The song is a about a river girl. In the first verse, it speaks about the Virgin of Guadalupe playing in the sand along a river. The second verse warns her not to get on the boat because the water is rough. Interestingly, the song is thought to have been written by a ‘Gallego,’ or native of Galicia in Buenos Aires, Argentina in approximately 1947. This tune often sung acapella is periodically accompanied by the gaita and/or castanets.
There were three main themes that I noticed around the folk songs of my family including domestic duties, drinking, and of course, the sea. Among the songs about the home were ‘Apaja o Candil’ (Turn off the Candle). The song is about the duties a husband and wife have at home. Another song about home is ‘Arrastrachelo Cu Polas Pallas’ (Drag in the Hay). The literal meaning is about being lazy or dragging your *ss. The song encourages you to cook and make the bed.
The second theme of drinking was found in the song ‘Miudiño,’ which is a place where Albariño grapes are grown to make white wine. Its lyrics are literally all about drinking and singing. Another drinking song is ‘Bailaches Carolina’ (Dance Carolina). It is about a woman named Carolina who is dancing in a bar. The men are excited about Carolina dancing because when she twirls her skirt lifts up.
The third theme of the sea is evident in the song ‘Catro Vellos Mariñeros’ (Four Old Sailors). The first verse is about where they are sailing to. The second verse is about their return with fish to eat and sell. My favorite folk tune is titled ‘Camiriñas’ which is the name of a fishing town. The song is about women down by a river waiting for their husbands to return from the sea.
Starting in the 1700’s many people attempted to collect folk music with the government’s support for documentation purposes. Much of this research was unsuccessful. Late in the 19th century, Felipe Pedrell organized a collection of Spanish folk music according to domestic life versus public life. However, it was not very comprehensive. Finally, in approximately 1935, Jesus Bay y Gay together with Kurt Schindler collected over 1000’s songs. They were organized by province and translated by Jose Tudela, Gervasio Manrique, and Teogenes Ortego. A decade later in 1946, Francisco Pujol created a classification system of these songs according to their function: customs, field labor, occupations, and religious. In 1964, John Amades created another collection of songs that have survived through the ages including lullabies, dances, work songs, and walking songs. In these postmodern times, not only is the folk music preserved in books but it is accessible across the internet for all future generations to enjoy in the United States, Spain, and all over the world.
