Traditional Valencian music and its most popular songs Hello everyone! Today we are going to talk about traditional Valencian music. You already know that our Hispania school, Spanish school, is located in the city of Valencia. Learning Spanish in Valencia is a great idea. Haven't you seen it yet?
Hello everyone! Today we are going to talk about the traditional Valencian music.
You already know that our school Hispania, Spanish school is located in the city of Valencia.
Learn Spanish in Valencia It's a great idea.
Haven't you visited it yet?
What are you waiting for?
We are sure you will love it.
If you are curious about what the traditional music of ValenciaStay with me and I'll tell you. 🎶
We start with the history of traditional Valencian music.
What is a traditional song?
It is a song that is part of the culture of a town and has accompanied him for a long time.
Valencia is a very old city.
For centuries, we have had a great variety of traditional music in the world. Valencian folklore.
The songs from Valencia They are considered by many to be the cultural and artistic heritage of humanity.
He has served as an inspiration for many later composers of classical music.
The way of singing in this Valencian music is typical of the Mediterranean.
The singers wear traditional clothing and many ornaments.
The rhythm, far from the most commercial music, is free and improvised.
Let's see some examples of typical Valencian music, instruments and songs.
The Requena seguidillas, like any Spanish Seguidilla, are always accompanied by a collective dance.
The rhythm is ternary and very lively.
Some typical instruments are castanets, guitars, bandurrias, lute, dulzaina, violin and flute.
The lyrics usually deal with love.
It is danced in pairs and in group. A circle is formed and the couples change.
The Xàbia pasodoble is a song that originated in the town of Jávea.
It was composed in 1976 by Salvador Salva.
He was born without a letter and linked to the festivities of Jávea.
Very soon it spread throughout Spain and even in other countries such as Mexico, Bolivia, France or Ukraine.
It became a main holiday anthem and bullfights.
What is the reason for this popularity?
Many experts affirm that it has become a world reference for pasodobles due to the simplicity and harmony of his music.
The jota is a traditional dance and song from all over Spain. It has distinctions depending on the region.
They usually sing and dance with castanets and traditional clothing.
In the case of the valencian jota, is the most important traditional dance and one of the most danced Valencian musical genres in the festive events.
It originated in the 14th century and evolved until the 19th century, giving rise to the jota we know today.
The valencian jota It is reminiscent of ballroom dancing for its movements.
You can dance in many ways: individual, in pairs, exchange of partners, in groups of 3, online, in a group...
Did you know that originally the jota was danced at funerals?
Nowadays this is no longer done.
It is only danced during more traditional festivals, especially in some towns.
The Valencian songs exist throughout the Valencian Community, mainly in the rural area, in contexts social and festive.
They are performed individually by musicians known as singers.
There are two main branches of Valencian songs: Cant d'estil and Albaes.
Valencian singing is sung on air.
This means that the performer decides the rhythm and has a certain vocal freedom and independence from the instrumental accompaniment.
Additionally, it is common that when the singer sings, the music stops.
The music is divided into phrases or thirds of the singer.
The typical musical instruments of the Valencian Community are the guitar, the lute, the dulzaina, the bandurria, the cañizo, the tabalet or the zambomba.
In this section it is necessary to mention Salvador Ibáñez (1854-1920).
He was a luthier craftsman who made string instruments high quality: guitars, ukuleles, mandolins...
His instruments were considered among the best of their time.
They were perfectly built and offered excellent sound quality.
As you can see we have a rich musical culture.
Now let's see some songs and singer-songwriters Valencians, both traditional and current.
In this section, we are going to talk aboutmusic in valencian modern.
There are many local groups that they sing in valencian.
For you, it may be a little difficult to understand their lyrics, since Valencian is another language different from Spanish, although they share similarities and many words are similar.
I encourage you to listen carefully the songs which I am going to quote you below, to see if you can understand them. 😁
These are some of the most famous Valencian songs currently:
What did you think?
They are cool right?
If I know that in the end you are going to become fond of Valencian music groups. 😄
The Valencian singer-songwriters more famous yes than they sing in spanish.
The most notable were Camilo Sesto and Bravo Boy. The two were iconic singer-songwriters throughout the country in the 70s.
Some of his lyrics are really beautiful. They both had incredible voices.
But there are many more singer-songwriters.
Below, I quote some with their most famous songs and the lyrics in spanish, so you can understand them.
Now let's talk about three traditional Valencian music groups.
Aitana Ferrer is one of the main singers of traditional Valencian music today. He performs shows in the form of poetry and Valencian singing.
He is one of the greatest exponents of Folk music. He is considered one of the best Valencian singers for his naturalness, authenticity and spontaneity.
This group plays traditional Valencian melodies with a mix of instruments: dolçaina, accordion, tuba, flutes, percussion... In addition, he also plays music from other European cultures.
There are some songs in valencian very popular that are often heard at parties.
Do you want to know the two most famous?
Of course you want to!
I'm sure you'll love them.
The blanket on the coll is one of the most songs popular throughout the Valencian Community.
Of Alicante origin, the song has a lot of humor and a chorus that every good Valencian knows by heart.
“The blanket on the hill and the cabasset,
mos n'anirem al Postiguet,
the blanket on the hill and the cabasset,
mos n'anirem mos n'anirem al Postiguet,
herding xim pam pum,
herding xim pam pum.”
The Anthem of the Valencian Community is a solemn and beautiful song.
It is probably one of the best anthems of Spain.
Well, the fact that I am Valencian perhaps influences my opinion a little and I am not being objective 😂.
I prefer that you listen to it and judge for yourself.
Tell me your opinion in the comments.
We also have songs in Valencian for children.
Let's look at some!
I present to you two children's songs in Valencian so that the little ones can sing them and have fun.
The song of Uncle Pep count the story of a Valencian farmer who visits the town of Muro to buy a donkey and a tartan to be able to till his garden.
The song is very loved by all Valencians and has been covered on many occasions.
It's a song that it is sung in choir and orpheus. It is often sung by children.
Do you want to know more popular Valencian children's songs?
Come on, I'll give you two more.
One of the cutest songs to hear children sing.
In the lyrics Ramonet the gardener is asked to bring figs and apricots.
So simple and fun at the same time.
This song is different from the rest because of its slow and sweet rhythm. Remember one children's lullaby to make children fall asleep.
It tells the story of a maiden in a long dress on a seaside dock.
We finish this article with something that we all love:
The Fallas! 😄
Is there typical Fallas songs?
Of course yes, the so-called popular Valencian songs.
The blanket on the coll or The anthem of the Valencian Community They are some of the most sung.
But there is more. I show you two very popular ones:
Its title says it all. It is the Fallas song par excellence.
And, you know what? It is sung in Spanish.
You can understand this song well, let's see what you think. 😉
Do you know what is the main appetizer in the Fallas?
hot chocolate. ☕😋
The song of Paquito the chocolatier is about Paquito, the most famous chocolatier who makes this delicacy.
We can find this song in many versions sung in Spanish and Valencian by different artists.
In this article you have learned a lot about traditional music and Valencian folklore. If, in addition to traditional Valencian music and dances, you are interested in other traditional Spanish dances and dances, you can read them in this article. 30 Traditional dances and dances of Spain.
Do you know what else you can do around here?
Sign up for the online Spanish courses of Hispania, Spanish school.
Here you will learn to speak spanish and a lot about the Spanish and Valencian culture.
See you soon!
Article written by Carlos Martinez for Hispania, Spanish school
More articles