Music Around the World: Andorra

The next stop on our World Tour is the small European nation of Andorra. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Andorra is landlocked by Spain and France and has some really incredibly beautiful scenery. Here's some basic information on the country if you're unfamiliar as I was:

-Capital City: Andorra la Vella

-Official Languages: Catalan

-Government: Unitary parliamentary semi-elective diarchy, currently under the leadership of Co-Princes Joan Enric Vives Sicília and Emmanuel Macron

-Declared their independence from Aragon in September 1278; ratified their current constitution in February 1993

-Land Area: 181 square miles (178th largest nation in the world)

-Population: 77,543 estimated as of 2020 (203rd largest nation in the world)

-Religion: 88.2% Catholicism, the other 11.8% divided amongst the Anglican Church, Unification Church, New Apostolic Church, Jehovah's Witness, Isalm, Hindu, Bahà'i, and Judaism

-Drive on the right side of the road

Being one of the smallest nations not only in Europe but also the world does not hamper Andorra's ability to produce good music. Folk music is still important and prominent in the nation, mainly paired with folk dances like the contrapàs (a chain dance with grapevine-like footwork), the marratxa (a folk dance of both Andorra and France), and the sardana (a circular group dance). Music festivals such as the ChamJam Music Festival and the Escaldes-Engordany International Jazz Festival are hosted in Andorra as well. As far as native born Andorran musicians, I didn't find as many as I did for other countries, but the ones that I found I enjoyed quite a bit, so let's jump on in.

Pastoral by Lluís Claret & Gerard Pastor (written by L. Claret)

Lluís Claret (b. 1951) is a cellist hailing from the capital city of Andorra la Vella. He studied music in Spain, France, Italy, and the United States and has performed in many prominent orchestras throughout his career. He is a founding member of the Trio de Barcelona and currently teaches at schools and conservatories, as well as participating in juries of major international music competitions (for those that don't know, juries are basically final exams for musicians). The Pastoral piece is included on the 2014 album Pau Casals: Obras para violonchelo y piano (which translates to Works for Cello and Piano in Catalan) and is a really beautiful instrumental piece that's worth a listen.

Jugarem a estimarnos by Marta Roure (written by J. Bardagí)

Marta Roure (b. 1981) is an Andorran singer and actress who may be most well known for representing Andorra in the 2004 EuroVision contest, winning the nation 18th place. Jugarem a estimarnos (which translates to We Will Play to Love Each Other in English) is the song she performed that year, and was not only the first time Andorra had competed in EuroVision but was also the first time a song had performed in Catalan in the competition. Roure has produced one studio album, 2004's Nua, and is classified as a pop/pop rock musician. This song is very high energy and a lot of fun, exactly what I would've expected from a EuroVision entry, and I think the fact about it being the first ever Catalan entry is really cool. A translation of the lyrics from the original Catalan is below.

I have no doubt, neither of us know/Because we are together tonight/You don't even know my name/And the truth is, I don't know your name either/Maybe it's better than we don't talk about anything/We take advantage of the fact that we are alone/We park all the problems and we enjoy that moment/Tonight, we will make it ours/Tonight, we can be whatever we want/While we wait for the sun to rise/I want us to be together/Let's not stop playing/I want you to tell me, "I love you"/Although not true/I want us to hug/Let's enjoy the moment/And play...we will play to love each other

Prison Skin by Persefone (written by C. Lozano, M. Espinoza)

Persefone is an Andorran progressive death metal band that was formed in 2001 and is probably the most well-known musician act to come out of Andorra. The current lineup of the band includes bassist Toni Mestre Coy, guitarist Carlos Lozano Quintanilla, keyboardist/vocalist Miguel Espinoza, vocalist Mark Martins Pia, drummer Sergi Verdeguer, and guitarist Filipe Baldaia. They have produced six studio albums throughout their career, and the song Prison Skin is included on album #5, 2017's Aathma. I had my metal-loving husband listen to this song as well to get his opinion on it, with his final opinion being that they have good ideas that aren't executed in the music 100% perfectly but it's still worth listening to. Seeing as I am not the biggest metal fan, I had no frame of reference to compare this song to other metal music, but I didn't think it was half bad - I think if you're a fan of metal you should give them a try.

Standing confused/Tears in my eyes, void in my heart/I don't know who I am anymore/This trance defines the realms of my mind/My head collapsed by the magnitude of this feeling/Let you be, close your eyes/And dare to see what always was/I will, I want/Don't want to be what I am not anymore/Trust your being, let you feel connected with this life/Thousand voices, fear and anger/Fighting ego wants to keep this false I alive/Confined by the walls I built/Being consumed by this prison skin/Open your eye/Feel what you are inside

El Gran Carlemany by The One World Ensemble (written by J. Benlloch I Vivó, E. Marfany Bons)

El Gran Carlemany (The Great Charlemagne in English) is the national anthem of Andorra. Adopted as the national anthem in 1921, the lyrics were written by Juan Benlloch i Vivó (a Spanish cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church) and the music was composed by Enric Marfany Bons. Written from a first person perspective, El Gran Carlemany walks through aspects of Andorra's history and why the citizens should be proud of it. An English translation from the original Catalan is below.

The Great Charlemagne, my father/From the Saracens liberated me/And from heaven, he gave me life/Of Meritxell, the great mother/Princess, born heiress/Into two nations, in neutrality/I am the only remaining daughter/Of the Carolingian empire

This may be a shorter post than normal, but hopefully as always you found some new, interesting music to explore this week. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!