Autochthonous Vibrations of Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, Basque

 #170, Al compás del mundo - 3-6-25, Northern Spain: Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, Basque Country

The summary of today’s Al compás del mundo music program is going to serve, in part, as a mini-lecture on the history of Northern Spain. Why would you want to read that? First, because there’s a lot of fine music coming from the region. Second, to see if we can’t prove Mark Twain wrong, after he once said: “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” Come on, you yankees! The world’s getting smaller everyday. It’s time we learn about those we share the planet with. And did I mention the fine music? 

01 Atlántica - El emboscado (Cantabria)

02 N'Arba - De Grau a Concarneau (Asturias)

03 Llan de Cubel - Rigu Esva (Asturias)

04 Tejedor - Gaites del infiernu (Asturias)

05 Luar Na Lubre e Diana Navarro - Romeiro Ao Lonxe (Asturias)

So, it’s Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country from west to east across the northern border of the country. While most of the population speaks Spanish, there are other autochthonous languages still heard (and sung) in these regions, often related to the Celtic spoken by tribes who fought against the Roman invasion some two thousand years ago (and who, you’ll see, quite apparently left their musical roots behind). As a matter of historic and cultural pride one will encounter Galician, Asturiano (“Bable” in their language, not to be mistaken with “babble”), Castellano, the Castilian dialect in Cantabria which has become the major Spanish dialect used throughout the country, and finally Basque (Euskara), a language isolate, i.e. unrelated to any other known language. Evidence suggests Euskara goes back thousands of years, predating the others and, in fact, is spoken by roughly half of the population of Basque Country (which carries over into areas of southern France.) 

06 Sondeseu - Xota de Cortellas (Galicia)

07 Kepa Junkera - Zenarruzako Sekretua (Basque Country)

08 Garma Folk - Baili a lo Ligeru (Cantabria)

09 Tuenda - Non, non, Maruxa (Asturias)

10 Xabier Díaz & Adufeiras de Salitre - O baile de Noró (Asturias)

gaitas (bagpipes) a'plenty 

11 Leire Berasaluze - Janzu Janto (Basque Country)

12 La Humera - Sé cantar y sé bailar (Cantabria)

13 Berrogüetto - Tránsito (Galicia)

14 Brenga Astur - La Tonal Nuberu (Asturias)

15 Luétiga - Morenuca (Cantabria)

As for my choice of tunes added to this playlist, it behooves me to point out that the primary aesthetic I exercise more often than not when programming a show is to select the edgier musical expressions I come across. Not exactly sure how to translate that. But sometimes I hear a pretty, sweetly gentle, or just plain catchy little tune and I got to have it. And so it is in this week’s selection. Lots of catchiness. Plenty of pretty (alongside heroic and festive). And the sweetly gentle appears in the likes of the immediately familiar Scarborough Fair, here named “Romero Ao Lonxe”. Of course, it’s a traditional English song and definitely not Asturian. And it turns out the singer, Diana Navarro is from Málaga in southern Spain and definitely not a northerner. Is she maybe singing in Asturiano? I couldn’t tell you, but I found it in a playlist of Asturian music, her version is stellar, and I say it fits perfectly. Son las cosas de la vida!

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