Genre
Traditional Catalan folk music. The album draws on the centuries-old popular song heritage of Catalonia, presented in intimate arrangements that preserve the austerity and solemnity of the original material.
Release
Originally released in 1968 by Edigsa, a Barcelona-based label closely associated with the Nova Cançó movement. The album's release was delayed amid controversy surrounding Serrat's initially announced participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Production
Musical direction by Antoni Ros-Marbà, who shaped the album's distinctive sound through spare, intimate arrangements built primarily around piano and string quartet. Recorded in 1967 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Reception
The album was received as a cultural milestone in Catalonia. Its impact was largely regional rather than commercial, reaching little beyond Catalonia, yet it helped preserve and revitalise a significant body of traditional songs that might otherwise have faded from public memory. It is widely regarded as an important document of the Nova Cançó movement.
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (born December 27, 1943, in the Poble Sec neighbourhood of Barcelona) is a Catalan singer, songwriter, and composer regarded as one of the most important figures in modern Spanish and Catalan popular music. He emerged in the mid-1960s as a member of Els Setze Jutges and as a leading voice of the Nova Cançó movement, which used song as a vehicle for cultural and political assertion. His career has been equally notable for original songwriting and for setting the poetry of Antonio Machado, Miguel Hernández, and Mario Benedetti to music. His 1971 album Mediterráneo is considered a defining work of Spanish popular song. He was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts in 2024.
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