"Els Segadors" (, ; "The Reapers") is the official

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Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

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and

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History

The original song dates in the oral tradition to 1640, based on the events of June 1640 known as ''

Corpus de Sang The Corpus de Sang (, "Corpus of Blood") was a riot which took place in Sant Andreu de Palomar and later in Barcelona on 7–10 June 1640, during Corpus Christi, which marked a turning point in the development of the Reapers' War The Re ...

'' ("Corpus of Blood") during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648) between Spain, England, France and Austria, the event that started the

Reapers' War The Reapers' War (, ; , ), also known as the Catalan Revolt or Catalan Revolution, was a conflict that affected the Principality of Catalonia between 1640 and 1659, in the context of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), Franco-Spanish War of 1 ...

or , also known as the Catalan Revolt or Catalan Revolution, where Catalans fought against the Count-Duke of Olivares, the chief minister of King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

, and eventually led to an open war and the establishment of a Catalan Republic under French protection. The song describes the events, an uprising of peasants due to the large and burdensome presence of the Spanish Royal army in the

Principality of Catalonia The Principality of Catalonia (; ; ; ) was a Middle Ages, medieval and early modern state (polity), state in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. During most of its history it was in dynastic union with the Kingdom of Aragon, constituting together ...

, as they were required to lodge and provision the troops, thus leading to a large tension and discomfort and the outbreak of episodes such as religious sacrileges, destruction of personal properties, and rape of women by the soldiers. The second part of the song tells the arrival of the rebel reapers in Barcelona, who kill various guards, the royal officers and the viceroy of Catalonia, Dalmau de Queralt, ending with the exhortation to Catalans to take the arms, as they are at war. In the 19th century, the text was compiled in the ''Romancillero Catalán'', a book of folk traditions written by Manuel Milà i Fontanals. The music was standardized by Francesc Alió in 1892. Its modern lyrics were written by Emili Guanyavents, who won a competition convened by the political party Unió Catalanista in 1899, simplifying the text to three verses. At the time, the change of lyrics caused some controversy among conservative elements, as Guanyavents, coming from sectors close to

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

, gave them a revolutionary tone. Since the beginning of the 20th century, "Els Segadors" became one of the most relevant symbols of Catalanism and Catalonia itself, increasing its popularity during the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

and the

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. Despite an early attempt of the

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(Catalan autonomous government) in 1931 to replace it with another song, " El Cant del Poble", "Els Segadors" remained highly popular, often treated by Catalan government and population as the national anthem. The

dictatorship of Francisco Franco Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

(1939–1975) banned the public use of Catalan national symbolism as part of the broad anti-Catalanist policies, among them "Els Segadors". Tolerated songs, such as the " Virolai" or " La Santa Espina", were often played in its place to express Catalan identity. After decades being use de facto, often alongside the " Cant de la Senyera", the Catalan government officially adopted "Els Segadors" as the national anthem of Catalonia on 25 February 1993, by law of the Catalan parliament. The official version was made in 1994. The new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 confirms this decision by its article 8.4, in which is explicitly defined as a national symbol of Catalonia, alongside the National Day and the

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

Lyrics

Modern lyrics

Original lyrics: pre-1899

Recordings and variations

An arrangement of "Els Segadors" appears on "Ballad of the Fallen" by Charlie Haden (1983). Contemporary Catalan composer

Jordi Savall Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish Conducting, conductor, composer and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol ...

made a version of the folk song, using the original narrative (which dates back to the 17th century) combined with the modern lyrics and refrain, which were added later. The song has also been recorded and interpreted by major artists, included on albums such as '' Traditional Catalan Songs'' (Victoria de los Ángeles). In October 2017, in the aftermath of the Catalan

independence referendum An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independenc ...

, the American band

A Sound of Thunder "A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in ''Collier's'' magazine on June 28, 1952, and later in Bradbury's 1953 collection '' The Golden Apples of the Sun''. Plot summary In the y ...

released a heavy metal variation of the anthem, using a mix of English and Catalan lyrics.https://www.asoundofthunderband.com/single-post/2017/10/05/Hola-Catalunya

Notes

References

External links

Generalitat of Catalonia: National symbols
{{DEFAULTSORT:Segadors, Els National anthems Spanish anthems Regional songs Catalonia Culture of Catalonia Songs in Catalan Catalan symbols Reapers' War Compositions in A minor Anthems of non-sovereign states