This Tuesday, the European Union will publish its first songbook, which will have 164 songs, divided into six categories, with Portugal represented in all of them.
The first “Songbook of the European Union”“which brings together 164 songs from the 27 Member States, six of which are Portuguese, is published this Tuesday, nine years after it began to be prepared.
In the book, the songs are presented in sheet music for solo voice, with chords, and the The letters are written in the original 25 languages, covering three alphabets, and have an English translation.
On the page of the book dedicated to each song there is also a QR code, which can be read using a cell phone or tablet, and which allows you to listen to the original recording of the song in question.
Toward 164 songs were divided into six categories: Freedom and Peace, Love, Nature and Seasons, Popular and Traditional, Faith and Spirituality and Children’s Songs. — and Portugal is represented in all of them.
In 2018, 60 Portuguese songs were voted on and the most voted, by 2,666 people, were: love for both(Love), Song of the sea (Nature and Seasons), Grandola, Vila Morena (Freedom and Peace), Bad, bad (Popular and Traditional), was god (Faith and Spirituality) and Master André’s Shop (Children’s songs).
“Amar Pelos Dois”, with lyrics and music by Luísa Sobral, performed by Salvador Sobral, was the song that gave Portugal its first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2017.
Song of the seawith lyrics by Frederico de Brito and music by Ferrer Trindade, it was presented for the first time by Maria Odete Coutinho, on the radio program The companions of joyand recorded in 1953 by Carlos Fernando, accompanied by the Mário Simões Ensemble. The theme was recreated several times by other artists, such as the Brazilian Agostinho dos Santos, the French Yvette Giraud and, later, in the 90s, Dulce Pontes, this version appearing on the film’s soundtrack. The root of fear and has been generic for the North American police series. southern land.
Grândola, Vila Morena, with lyrics and music by José Afonso (Zeca Afonso), included on the album May songs (1971), is one of the songs that served as a password to the Revolution of April 25, 1974. Over the years the song has had several versions, from the Chilean band Aparcoa to the pianist Pascal Comelade, through the Brazilian singer Nara Leão. , the fado singer Amália Rodrigues and the North American Liberation Music Orchestra, with pianist Carla Bley and double bassist Charlie Haden.
Grandola, Vila MorenaAlways associated with the fall of the Portuguese dictatorship, it appears among the first songs in the songbook, under the theme Freedom and Peace.along with songs like The song of the partisanscomposed and performed by Anna Marly, a reference of the French Resistance, and the traditional Italian Bella CiaoWith origins in the 19th century, it also became a symbol of the fight against fascism during World War II.
Malhão, Malhão It is part of the popular songbook of the Duero Litoral region.
was god with lyrics and music by Alberto Janes, it is a fado that Amália Rodrigues made famous.
Master André’s Shop It is a traditional children’s song.
Among the songs from other countries that appear in the “Songbook of the European Union“ they are the sun myfrom Italy, Hail Mary and In the moonlightfrom France.
The 60 Portuguese songs put to the vote had been nominated by members of the Portuguese musical community, in particular the Associação Portuguesa de Educação Musical (APEM), the Associação Musical Lisboa Cantat, the Institute of Etnomusicology — Center for Music and Dance Studies of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Lagos Academy of Music.
The “European Union Songbook” is a “non-profit project launched by a Danish organization with no monetary ties to the European Union”.
“For more than 50 years, we, European citizens, have exchanged physical things: coal, fish and other products. Cultural exchange, on the other hand, has so far been limited to sport (the Champions League) and a single musical competition: Eurovision. “We believe the time has come to create a more lasting common symbol, a book of songs,” the project website reads.
The songbook was created with the participation of more than one hundred musical organizations and music conservatories, and through public voting that mobilized more than 87 thousand citizens from across the European Union.
The “Songbook of the European Union” project was awarded by the European Parliament with the European Citizenship Award 2023.
Source: Observadora
