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

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

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and

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Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

History

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

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

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

Reapers' War The Reapers' War ( ca, Guerra dels Segadors, , es, Guerra de los Segadores), also known as the Catalan Revolt, was a conflict that affected a large part of the Principality of Catalonia between the years of 1640 and 1659. It had an enduring e ...

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

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 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 ...

. The song describes the event, an uprising of peasants due to the large presence of the Royal army in the

Principality of Catalonia The Principality of Catalonia ( ca, Principat de Catalunya, la, Principatus Cathaloniæ, oc, Principat de Catalonha, es, Principado de Cataluña) was a Middle Ages, medieval and early modern state (polity), state in the northeastern Iberian P ...

, as they were required to lodge and provision the troops, creating a large tension and discomfort and leading to 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 This is a list of Spanish viceroys (also called lieutenants) of the Principality of Catalonia from 1479 to 1713. *1479–1493: Enrique de Aragón *1493–1495: Juan de Lanuza y Garabito *1495–1496: Juan Fernández de Heredia *14 ...

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, 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, gave them a revolutionary tone. Since the beginning of the 20th century, "Els Segadors" became one of the most relevant symbols of

catalanism Catalan nationalism is the ideology asserting that the Catalans are a distinct nation. Intellectually, modern Catalan nationalism can be said to have commenced as a political philosophy in the unsuccessful attempts to establish a federal state ...

and Catalonia itself, increasing its popularity during the

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and the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. Despite an attempt of the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label=Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed ...

(Catalan autonomous government) in 1931 to replace it with another song, " El Cant del Poble", "Els Segadors" remained highly popular, treated by Catalan government and population as the national anthem. The dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975) banned the public use of Catalan national symbolism, 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 used de facto, sometimes 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 its

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. The official version was made in 1994. The new

Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 ( ca, Estatut d’Autonomia de Catalunya) provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations under the Spanish Constitution of 1978. It defines the rights and obligations of the citizens of Cataloni ...

confirms this decision by its article 8.4.

Lyrics

Modern lyrics

Original lyrics: pre-1899

} qui t'ha vista rica i plena! Ara el rei nostre senyor declarada ens té la guerra. II Lo gran comte d'Olivar sempre li burxa l'aurella: “Ara és hora, nostre rei, ara és hora que fem guerra”. III Contra de los catalans ja ho vegeu quina n'han feta: seguiren viles i llocs fins al lloc de Riudarenes, IV n'han cremada una església que Santa Coloma es deia, cremen albes i casulles los calzes i les patenes. V I el Santíssim Sagrament alabat sigui per sempre. Mataren un sacerdot mentres que la missa deia. VI Mataren un cavaller a la porta de l'iglésia, Don Lluís de Furrià i els àngels li fan gran festa. VII El pa que no era blanc deien que era massa negre, lo daven an els cavalls sols per assolar la terra. VIII Lo vi que no era bo etgegaven les aixetes, lo tiraven pels carrers sols per a regar la terra. IX A presència dels seus pares deshonraven les donzelles. En daven part al virrei del mal que aquells soldats feien: X “Llicència els he donat io molta més se'n poden pendre”. XI A vista de tot això s'és esvalotat la terra. Entraren a Barcelona mil persones forasteres, XII entren com a segadors com érem a temps de sega. De tres guàrdies que n'hi ha ja n'han morta la primera. XIII En mataren el virrei a l'entrant de la galera. Mataren els diputats i els jutges de l'Audiència. XIV Anaren a la presó donen llibertat als presos. Lo bisbe els va beneir amb la mà dreta i esquerra: XV “Ont és vostre capità, a ont és la vostra bandera?” Varen treure el bon Jesús tot cobert amb un vel negre: XVI “Aquí és nostre capità aquí és nostra bandera. A les armes catalans que us han declarat la guerra”. , I Ah, happy Catalonia who has seen you rich and plentiful! Now the king our lord has declared war on us. II The great count of Olivar is always pestering his ear: "Now is the time, our king. now is the time to make war." III Against the Catalans see what they have done already: villages and places followed up to the place of Riudarenes, IV they have burned a church that was called Santa Coloma, they are burning white habits and

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s the

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

s and the

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the ...

s. V And the

Blessed Sacrament The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...

praise be to you forever. They killed a priest while

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...

was being held. VI They killed a knight at the door of the church, Don Lluís de Furrià and the angels are making him a big feast. VII The bread that was not white they said was too black, they gave it to the horses only to ravage the earth. VIII The wine that was not good they turned on the taps, they threw it in the streets only to irrigate the land. IX In the presence of their parents they dishonoured the maidens. They gave part to the viceroy of the harm that those soldiers were doing: X "I gave them a license many more can be taken.” XI In view of all this the earth has shaken. They entered Barcelona a thousand strangers, XII they come in as reapers as we were in harvest time. Of three guards there the first has already died. XIII The viceroy was killed at the entrance to the galley. They killed the deputies and the judges of the Court. XIV They went to prison they are releasing the prisoners. The bishop blessed them with the right and left hand: XV "Where is your captain, where is your flag?" They took out the good Jesus all covered with a black veil: XVI "Here is our captain here is our flag. In the Catalan arms that have declared war on you." ,

Recordings and variations

Contemporary Catalan composer

Jordi Savall Jordi Savall i Bernadet (; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanish 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 family of ...

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 ''Cançons Tradicionals Catalanes'' (Traditional Catalan songs) is a 1991 album of Catalan music by Victoria de los Ángeles, accompanied by Geoffrey Parsons. Recorded at the Abbey Road Studios, London, it was originally released on Collins Clas ...

'' (Victoria de los Ángeles). In October 2017, in the

aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an Americ ...

of the Catalan independence referendum, 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 in the June 28, 1952, issue and later in Bradbury's collection '' The Golden Apples of the Sun'' in 1953. ...

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 Catalan culture Catalan-language songs Catalan symbols Reapers' War National anthem compositions in A minor National anthem compositions in E minor National anthem compositions in G minor Anthems of non-sovereign states