Els Set Jutges

Els Setze Jutges ("The Sixteen Judges") were a group of songwriters in the Catalan language . It was founded in 1961 by Miquel Porter , Remei Margarit and Josep Maria Espinàs . The name comes from a tongue twister that is very popular in the Catalan-speaking region ("set jutges d'un jutjat mengen fetge d'un penjat", literally translated: "Sixteen judges of a court eat the liver of a hanged man").

Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia are historical regions and differ from the rest of Spain in that they each have their own culture, history and language. The Second Spanish Republic took this into account in 1931 and granted these regions extensive autonomy . With the end of the civil war in 1939, General Franco dissolved all institutions of the republic and established a dictatorship that lasted until his death in 1975. The abolition of democracy and autonomies also led to the suppression of everything that did not serve a pan-Spanish identity. From then on, the Catalan language and culture could only survive in secret.

In this repressive environment, some Catalan artists and intellectuals joined forces in 1961 with the claim to offer cultural resistance. One of the first secret appearances was announced as follows:

“Sessió extraordinària dedicada a la Poesia de la Nova Cançó. Interpretaran cançons pròpies, traduccions catalanes de G. Brassens i de "Porgy and Bess". "

“Special performance on the poetry of the New Song. Own songs, Catalan translations by G. Brassens and from "Porgy and Bess" are performed. "

Joan Manuel Serrat.

Maria del Mar Bonet i Verdaguer

Lluís Llach in November 2006

Thus the term Nova Cançó ("The New Song") was coined. The founders of Nova Cançó called themselves "Els Setze Jutges". This name, which is difficult to pronounce even for Catalan speakers and almost impossible for non-Catalans, was deliberately chosen as a provocation against the official culture of Franquism . The artistic program consisted of promoting the use of the Catalan language in modern music. In addition to their own compositions, they mainly performed songs by French chansonniers , especially by Georges Brassens . In addition to the three founders, other artists joined the group until it was completed by 16 Richter in the following order:

The Valencian songwriter Raimon was also associated with the Setze Jutges at the beginning of his career .

Just as the dictatorship lost power due to the aging of the dictator, the Nova Cançó movement became more professional. The progressive spirit of the early years gradually waned and those members of the Set Jutges who had no professional ambitions gradually left the group until it finally disbanded.

Of the sixteen jutges , only Francesc Pi de la Serra, Guillermina Motta, Joan Manuel Serrat, Maria del Mar Bonet, Lluís Llach and Rafael Subirachs have embarked on a professional career in music.

On April 13, 2007 the group of artists received the Medal of Honor of the Parliament of Catalonia for their services to the Catalan culture and language during the dictatorship. When the award was presented, Maria del Mar Bonet criticized the late recognition, since two of the sixteen members, Miquel Porter and Delfí Abella, had died.