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Tucked away
in the northwest corner of Spain is a bewitching and surprising Celtic land called
Galicia. Although this is an area of the world that people wouldn't necessarily
think of as "Celtic", its rich history, culture and music will quickly
dispel that notion. Galicia is a green, misty and hilly land with a climate more
reminiscent of Ireland and Scotland than Spain. Embraced by its many rivers and
kissed by the sea, Galicia is the most forgotten of the seven Celtic nations. However,
Galicia has some of the oldest Celtic traditions, going back more than 2,000 years.
Evidence of ancient Celtic settlements, including funeral structures and dolmens
(standing stones) can be found all over Galicia. It is also home to the Way of
St. James ('el Camino de Santiago'), one of the most revered Christian pilgrimage
sites next to Rome and Jerusalem. Legend has it that the remains of St. James
(Santiago in Spanish) were found in the capital, Santiago de Compostela, and a
great cathedral has been built there in his honor. This route has brought pilgrims
from all over the world since the 11th Century. Although the last native
Celtic language speaker died sometime in the 16th century, Galicia has been tied
to the rest of the Celtic world through the music that, despite much adversity,
has refused to die and has survived throughout the years. The national instrument
is the gaita galega (Galician bagpipes). The gaita is similar in appearance and
sound to the Great Highland bagpipes but with a mellower, slightly "medieval"
sound. It can be made out of a variety of woods, but boxwood has traditionally
been the wood of choice for the gaita. Galician tradition says that the boxwood
must wait more than a hundred years to find an artist that can find its soul and
transform it into a musical instrument. Some of the best-known young Galician
pipers today (and my own personal favorite "gaiteros") are Susana Seivane,
Carlos Núñez, and Xosé Manuel Budiño. Susana Seivane
is not only a superb and accomplished piper; she also comes from one of the most
famous gaita-making families in Galicia.
She is an extremely accomplished
piper in her own right; it seems she learned to play the pipes before she learned
how to walk!! I own both of her CDs, 'Susana Seivane' and her follow-up, 'Alma
de Buxo' ('Soul of the Boxwood'). One song I particularly enjoy is called "Muiñera
de Alen". This song is sung a capella by a group of women called Sete Saias;
this very traditional style of Galician singing gives the song a timeless feel.
Susana dedicates this piece to the memory of all the women that have contributed
so much to the Galician culture and preserved it through oral transmission down
the ages. My favorite song on Susana's CD is called "Roseiras De Abril",
which speaks of the interior of Galicia, a place that tends to be forgotten somewhat
as others push towards the more popular coastal region. Another of my favorite
tunes on this CD is called "Chao-Curuxeiras". It is actually played
twice in this CD - once by her grandfather, who composed this muiñera,
and again by Susana, who pays tribute to her grandfather who has passed down so
much over the years to her. She wanted her grandfather to be on this CD. I love
the tune itself - it is such a happy tune! - and Susana's appreciation of all
that has been passed down to her that can be felt throughout the CD. You can tell
she is extremely close to her grandfather in how she pays tribute to him in both
her music and in the jacket notes. What can I say - when I hear Susana play
I just want to get up, no matter how tired I am, and dance!! (Oh, how I would
love to learn some of these traditional dances!!) She plays with such gusto and
such obvious love of this tradition, passed down through the generations, that
you can easily feel it in every note she belts out. After listening to her CDs
I often feel the urge to learn how to play the pipes myself!! I feel the
same way about Carlos Núñez. He is equally gifted, having learned
to play the pipes at a very young age as well. He has played with the Chieftains
so many times he is known as the "seventh Chieftain". I currently own
only one CD of his, 'Brotherhood of Stars', the first recording of Celtic music
ever to reach platinum-level sales in Spain. The CD features one of my favorite
songs, "Black Shadow". The jacket indicates that this song first appeared
in Havana, Cuba, in 1892, inspired by the words of the famous Galician poet, Rosalía
de Castro. The song expresses the sadness that filled the hearts of the Galician
emigrants who had to leave their beloved land in order to survive and make lives
for themselves. This may very well have been a song my great-grandfather sang
while he toiled to support a family in a strange new country. Another of my favorite
tunes, "Dawn", is an alborada, a song that celebrates the rising of
the sun - a tribute to a brand new day. I can very easily picture the sun rising
as this plays; I always feel a sense of hope and renewal as I listen to it! Núñez
has quite a few guest vocalists and artists on this CD. The Chieftains play alongside
Carlos on two tracks, "The Moonlight Piper" and "Flight of the
Earls", both favorites of mine. According to the jacket, the "Flight
of the Earls" refers back to 1607, when the great Irish chieftains, O'Neil
and O'Donnell, gave up their lands and fled to the Continent to escape King James
of England. This is one of the reasons why one may see many Irish names in Galicia
and the rest of northern Spain. Spanish support of the Irish uprising during this
time made it possible to renew seafaring contacts first established in the Bronze
Age. This is another tune I'd love to dance to: besides the gaita, the fiddle,
tin whistle, harp and bodhran are used - a fabulous combination! "The
Moonlight Piper" is a medley of three tunes of different types. It starts
out as an alala, continues with a processional march and finishes with a jig that
won the 1888 Pontevedra piping competition. The gaita is highlighted in this track.
The Chieftains join in playing the flute, harp and fiddle (once traditional in
Galicia too). Galician music is composed of many different types of tunes.
Muiñieras are tunes in 6/8 time that are very lively and closely resemble
Irish or Scottish jigs. Alalas are short, slow tunes with words that are sometimes
sung while working and are very similar to the "waulking" songs of the
Scots Gaelic culture. Alboradas, beautiful tunes that celebrate the rising of
the sun, are played at a moderate tempo. Fandangos are slow tunes that are very
similar to waltzes. Xotas (pronounced sho-tas) and foliadas are both lively tunes,
however, foliadas are played a bit more slowly and usually have words sung along
with the tune. Carballesas are tunes that are played fast with strong beats. They
bear resemblance to Scottish and Irish hornpipes. Over the last twenty years
or so, Galicia has experienced an explosive resurgence in its Celtic folk music.
Never before has the regional folk music scene generated as many Galician folk
music artists. And no other group has been more instrumental in initiating the
Galician Celtic music revival than Milladoiro. Milladoiro takes its name
from the Galician word for the small stone piles left by the devout pilgrims along
the famous route called the Way of St. James, which led the Christian faithful
from France to the Galician capital city of Santiago de Compostela. The group
originated in 1978, released their first album in 1979 and have directly influenced
many of today's artists. To date, Milladoiro has recorded over 15 albums. Called
by many the "Galician Chieftains", Milladoiro has performed and recorded
with many Celtic music superstars such as Bill Whelan and the Chieftains. The
group describes themselves as "chamber-folk" and considers themselves
more of an ensemble than a band because although they are comprised of seven "regular"
members, there can be as many as 15 members playing because of the huge variety
of instruments involved in creating their unique sound. Milladoiro incorporates
medieval music, Moorish and Spanish influences into a solid Celtic base. They
manage to bring exotic instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy, clarinet, ocarina
and gaita together with more traditional Celtic instruments like the fiddle, uilleann
pipes, bouzouki and tin whistle to create their unforgettable and timeless music.
Most of their tracks are instrumental with occasional guest vocalists. Milladoiro
plays everything from haunting airs to polkas and foot-stomping traditional dances. Milladoiro
is truly representative of the Galician Celtic folk music revival at its best.
Their amazing ability to weave together their solid, ancient Celtic musical heritage
with the influences of the other nations and cultures that have passed through
Galicia over the last two thousand years is what has allowed them to flourish
and stay at the forefront of Galicia's thriving folk music revival even after
over 20 years together. While I'm still in the midst of discovering the
many groups and individual artists that make up the rich tapestry of Galician
music, I must say I already have a few favorites. Milladoiro, the "granddaddy"
of the Celtic folk music revival in Galicia, is simply wonderful to listen to
at the end of a long day. Their music is both relaxing and invigorating at the
same time. I currently own only two of their CDs, 'Auga de Maio' ('May Waters'),
released in 2000 and 'As Fadas de Estrano Nome' ('Fairies with Strange Names'),
released in 1997. What I love most about this group, besides their versatility,
is their ability to fuse just enough of a medieval sound to give their music a
magical quality. Even the names of their CDs reflect the sense of enchantment
that seems to permeate Galician culture in general. 'Fairies with Strange Names'
refers to a poem written by one of Galicia's most famous poets, Rosalia de Castro.
An excerpt of this poem is found in the jacket of this CD, which reads:
There
are on the green banks
There are on the pleasant beaches
And on the rugged
crags of our immense sea
Fairies with strange names, with unknown charms
That
only with us share their placid rest. I must also mention Xosé (pronounced
Sho-say) Manuel Budiño and Christina Pato. Thus far I've only listened
to MP3 samples but I really like what I hear so far! Budiño has been playing
large festivals, like the Lorient (Brittany) festival, since the age of 15. He
has released two CDs so far, 'Paralaia' in 1997 and 'Arredor' in 2000. Xosé
Manuel Budiño and Cristina Pato are both innovators in Galician music,
bringing life to both the gaita and the regional folk traditions. Christina
Pato captures my interest in particular because of her unique sound and look -
she is a green-haired piper!! She combines a "roots-rock" sound along
with the gaita pipes, quite impressively. I'm trying to find out how to order
her CDs at the moment (unfortunately you can't buy them directly from her website)
because I've just got to add them to my collection! Her first CD, 'Tolemia' (meaning
"madness" in Galician) was released in 1999, and her most recent work
is called 'Xilento' (pronounced shilento), released in 2001. I believe she will
be touring next summer and I certainly hope she comes to the States! Of
course there are many other wonderful Galician groups and artists out there that
range from pure traditional to progressive (always keeping that Celtic sound alive!).
I just haven't been able to listen to all of them just yet!!
Feature: Sandy
Abdelmalak
Editing: Louise Owen
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
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