Music of Andorra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The small country of Andorra is home to folk dances like the contrapàs and marratxa, which survive in Sant Julià de Lòria especially. Andorran folk music has similarities to all of its neighbors, but is especially Catalan in character, especially in the presence of dances like the sardana. Other Andorran folk dances include contrapàs in Andorra la Vella and Saint Anne's dance in Escaldes-Engordany ^[1].

Radio Nacional d’Andorra runs both Radio Andorra and the music station Andorra Música.

Music festivals in Andorra include the ChamJam Music Festival, Ordino and the jazz Escaldes-Engordany International Jazz Festival. Violinist Gérard Claret is the director of the Young National Orchestra of Cambra d'Andorra.

The national anthem of Andorra is "El Gran Carlemany" (Great Charlemagne) ^[2]. It was adopted on 8 September 1914, the feast day of Andorra's patron saint, the Virgin of Meritxell.

[edit] Eurovision

Andorra did not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest until 2004, when the national broadcaster RTVA entered the competition. In 2004, Spaniard Marta Roure's "Jugarem A Estimar-Nos" was both the first Andorran and the first Catalan language entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest, though it failed to qualify for the final. Andorra's entered again with ("La Mirada Interior") sung by the Dutch singer Marian van der Wal. Again, Andorra did not come through the semi-final round. ^[3].

[edit] References

1. ^ For Culture Lovers. FEVA. Retrieved on September 28, 2005.
2. ^ Andorra. National Anthem Reference Page. Retrieved on September 28, 2005.
3. ^ Andorra. All Kinds of Everything. Retrieved on September 28, 2005.

• MIDI samples of traditional music from the Iberian peninsula Includes some Andorran folksongs collected by Palmira Jaquetti.