Credits

FELPEYU Xuan Nel Expósito: box accordion, asturian bagpipes in Bb (luthier: Carlos M. García); Ruma Barbero: bodhrán, asturian bagpipes in Bb (luthier: Carlos M. García); Isidro Suárez: flute, tin whistle, background vocals; Xel Pereda: guitar, banjo, mandolin; Ígor Medio: bouzouki, bass pedals, vocals; Elías García: fiddle on 'Llevántate Neña' and 'L'Ablanera'; Peter leon: asturian panderos in 'Cuquina', percussion; Carlos Redondo: electric bass on 'Truébanu', background vocals.

All tracks are traditional from Asturies and were arranged by Felpeyu except: 'Alborada de Carlos' and 'La Cuquina', Carlos M. García; 'Muñeira d'Herminio', Xuan Nel Expósito; 'Muñera'l Monte Areo', Ígor Medio; 'Saltón de Somió', 'Los Playos', 'Pasacái Los Güeyos' y 'Marcha Nupcial de Ramonín', Ruma Barbero. 'L'Ablanera', composed by Ígor Medio over a traditional melody; 'Horo-Bau', composed by Felpeyu.

Produced by Carlos Redondo

Executive Producer: Lisardo Lombardía
Sound Engineer: Pedro Bastarrica
Design: El Grupo Enmascarado and Felpeyu
Photographs: Felpeyu and Marcos León
Translation: Nick Jones


1. Cuquina
Fandangu/Alborada de Carlos/Cuquina
2. Llevántale, Neña
Cantares de Mozos na Aldea/Alborada d'Aladino'l d'Amandi
3. Muñeres
Muliñeira d'Ancadeira/Xota de Fariñas/Muñeira d'Herminio/Muñeira'l Monte Areo
4. Polques
Polques d'Os Ozcos/Saltón de Somió
5. Quirosanu
Los Playos/Quirosanu/Pasacái Los Güeyos
6. La Raitana
7. L'Ablanera
La Escosa/Os Cachitíos/L'Ablanera
8. El Mio Xuan
El mio Xuan/Xota de La Rosa
9. Truébanu
Fandangu/Marcha Nupcial de Ramonín/Muñeira de Truébanu
10. Horo-Bau



1. Cuquina
Fandangu/Alborada de Carlos/Cuquina
This set consists of three pieces: the first is a fandangu taken from Torner's song-book, with its origin in Central Asturies. Then two pieces taught to us by the piper and pipe-maker Carlos M. García; after playing these for a year we asked him about their origin and discovered that they were from Cimavilla (Xixón) and that he himself had composed them.


2. Get Up, Lassie
Cantares de Mozos na Aldea/Alborada d'Aladino el d'Amandi
This is a traditional coral tune taught to us by Lluis Medio and Sonia Tuya. We made this arrangement conserving the original words and music, adding an alborada played in his time by the piper and firework expert Aladino, from Amandi, Villaviciosa.

Get Up, Lassie

Get up, lassie, from your sweet dreams,
the first light of dawn is coming.
Get up, lassie, from your sweet sleeps,
the first light of dawn is rising.

My love walks among the flowers
as St. John's day dawns.
The cocks crow at sunrise,
those in love will not sleep.

My love goes picking flowers
as St. John's day dawns.
The happiest morning
is the dawn of St. John.

Now the cocks are crowing at sunrise.
Get up, lassie, for I want to see you.
Now the cocks are crowing, now the've stopped,
the first light of dawn is coming.

Get up, lassie, from your sweet dreams,
the first light of dawn is coming.
Get up, lassie, from your sweet sleeps,
the first light of dawn is rising.

My love walks among the flowers
as St. John's day dawns.
The cocks crow at sunrise,
those in love will not sleep.

My love goes picking flowers
as St. John's day dawns.
The happiest morning
is the dawn of St. John.



3. Muñeres
Muliñeira d'Ancadeira/Xota de Fariñas/Muñeira de Herminio/Muñera'l Monte Areo
One of the most widespread rhythms used in Asturies is the 6/8 rhythm, which goes under many names: muñera, muñeira, gallegada, etc. The first piece of the set was taught to us by the piper Antón de Fonduveigas (Degaña), who was born in Ancadeira (Santalla d'Ozcos). Then, a piece made popylar by the piper José Tejón "Fariñas" from Cangas, a very important figure in the musical tradition of the Southwest, who died in 1991 (and so we pay hommage to him). We finish with two muñeres composed by ourselves: the first is dedicated to the late Herminio Villaverde (from A Fonfría -A Fonsagrada-), a jew's-harp player, and the last is a muñera in the central style, which we dedicate to a mountain - Mount Areo, in Montiana (Xixón).


4. Polques
Polques d'Os Ozcos/Saltón de Somió
At the beginning of the century dances by couples enjoyed great success in all Asturies, and there was never a dance where the traditional muñeres, ximelgueros and mudances were not played with the new styles: waltzes, mazurcas, pasodobles and, of course, polkas. In this case, the four first tunes come from the region of Os Ozcos, and we play the last with a binary rhythm in the saltón style, calling it Somió after a suburb of Xixón, where the boys of the area attacked and routed a regiment of the Spanish army many years ago, during the local "fiestes".


5. Quirosanu
Los Playos/Quirosanu/Pasacái Los Güeyos
We begin with a piece composed by ourselves that ended up with an asymetrical rhythm. We play it with one of the most typical melodies from the asturian bagpipes (El Quirosanu) and we finish with a piece in the style of a pasucáis (marching song), in which we have played a little joke with the name.


6. The Robin
"Acordanza" is a poem by Pepín de Pría, a well-known poet from Llanes in this century. Later, this poem was used for choir singing, becoming one of the most popular pieces in the country, and was taught to us by Lluis Medio and Sonia Tuya; we arranged it respecting the choral parts.

The Robin

I saw him well, as he sailed off
from San Xuan de Nieva.
I saw him well, as he left
so sadly.
The poor boy was going,
going to the war,
but he kept his gaze
fixed on the shore.

Everybody from the village
shook his hand.
His girl kissed him
as he boarded the ship.
The poor boy was going,
going to the war,
he left her sad
and wracked with sorrow.

And when she saw him kneel
down in front of the Virgin,
she went and prayed, poor girl,
that from the bullets he would be delivered.

The poor girl was left
sad and tormented,
but in the end
she will be distinguished
by the cross of silver
he will wear,
the brave soldier,
fixed over his heart.

And though she will spend
the war in tears,
when the boy returns
she will sing again
and the two will go down,
hand in hand,
to dance in the 'fiestes'
that are held in Xixón.

I don't know what's in this land
where the apple trees flower,
where it smells like a garden
of thyme and roses.

and the scent of the little flowers mingles
with the roses that smell of the morning.
And, later, she will fly joyfully about the village
with chosen songs, the robin.



7. L'Ablanera
La Escosa/Os Cachitíos/L'Ablanera
We begin with a bandurria piece from Caliao (Casu); it has a soft rhythm, characteristic of these pieces. We then continue with a tune which is very common in the North-West of Asturies: Os Cachitíos, not a very old dance, which was interpreted by small groups using box-accordion, flute and clarinet. And to finish up, a song we found in Torner's song-book, adding our own special touch and some additional music.


8. My Xuan
"Xuan" in Asturies refers to a hen-pecked husband, who does the housework and anything else he is ordered to do. This song tells of the most famous of all such men (not in fact Xuan Nel, though it could be). The instrumental parts correspond to a xota tune, very popular in the Ibias river valley (Degaña-Cangas-Ibias).


My Xuan

My Xuan looked at me
and said "my lovely,
how pretty you are".
I said, "little Xuan,
with you I have
no wish to speak".

And then my Xuan
started to caress me
with a hazel rod.
God, but he's ignorant, Xuan!

And I in tears
went to my mother-in-law's house
which wasn't far.
The old woman said to me
"don't take Xuan's
little habits to heart".

Because my Xuan is
so ignorant that there's nobody worse,
so lazy he won't work
nor has any intention of it.

And all the neighbours
criticise my Xuan,
but those are all lies
and idle gossip.

Oh!, little Xuan of my heart,
don't pay any attention,
face up to them
whatever they say.
There's no man in the world
as good as Xuan.

He does the housework
happy and contented,
he makes the dough
and kneads the bread.
There's no man in the world
as good as Xuan.



9. Truébanu
Fandangu/Marcha Nupcial de Ramonín/Muñeira de Truébanu
One of the many fandangos we found in the even-useful Torner's song-book, followed by a piece we created in the style of a wedding march. Then a muñeira for accordion from the village of Truébanu (in Babia d'Abaxu, a linguistic and cultural prolongation of Asturies to the south), and which we found in the archives of L'Andecha Folclor d'Uviéu.


10. Horo-Bau
In the group we are interested in more than the composition and arrangement of music compatible with the asturian tradition -though this remains our principal task-, but also in learning about other musical traditions, or at least incorporating them into our music by creating similar pieces. As in this case, a tune we play in the style of the horos (bulgarian dances), from the Eastern Europe.