Some of the works whose inspiration was Granada and its legends!
The city of Granada in the art.
Many are the works and songs that have been born by and for Granada, an element of inspiration for many writers and composers. Fascinated by its history, its charm or its legends, many writers, groups and solo singers have staged true treasures of the history of music.
There are many artistic genres that have shaped the city of Granada and everything related to it in their works.
Granada in the literature
Many writers have written about Granada: one of the most important is Washington Irving with his work “Tales of the Alhambra”.
Granada in the music
Artists from all over the world who sang about it, like:
- Guillermo Guirado with Reina mora
- Jorge Negrete with Granada
- Rosa López with Las calles de Granada
- Luciano Pavarotti who sang in 2005 Granada by composer Agustín Lara and whose first performance was by the Mexican tenor Pedro Vargas
But in this article we will focus on one group in particular, namely the folk metal group Mägo de Oz and their song Paseo de los tristes.
Mägo de Oz: paseo de los tristes
Mägo de Oz: Paseo de los tristes
and his song Paseo de los tristes (from the album Gaia II: La voz dormida; 2005) [Author’s note: This theme is dedicated to poetry made landscape, to a kiss made city, to Granada] represents what could be a possible historical event of the 15th or 16th century. What is noteworthy is that with this album the band has moved a bit away from what is their traditional folk metal and Celtic metal style. The group focuses on a darker style, which allows to consider part of the album as gothic.
Mägo de Oz: Gaia II; La voz dormida
The protagonist of the album is Azaak, a young indigenous woman imprisoned for heresy by the Holy Inquisition. In the cell he meets a Jew, whose name is Sara. The two begin to tell each other stories to make the captivity more bearable… Among these, the story told in the song. The possible inspiration for this would be, in fact, a legend, the story of a forbidden love between a Christian and a Muslim, whose end is tragic:
En el paseo de los tristes hay un alma que
Llora en las noches de San Juan
La Luna insiste en afirmar que pena por amor
Que es fruto de una maldición
La Alhambra recuerda que allí les contemplaba sonreír
Y al Alba se amaban
Granada se ruborizaba al ver su amor
Fueron muriendo así los días pero algo ocurrió
La religión los separó…
Ella era hija de un cristiano y él de un musulmán
La inquisición lo ejecutó
El Albaicin se estremeció
Y con su sueño ella murió
Y ahora se buscan
Cada uno en su propio cielo y no se ven
¿Dónde estás, mi amor?
¿Dónde estás?
Sin ti no puedo morir
Sin ti vagaré
Y desde entonces le acompaña una estrella que
Que desde el cielo cuida de él
Si crees en Dios, crees en Alá
Sé tolerante y menos rezar
Y acepta el credo
Y la sexualidad del que no es igual
Es mejor dejarte marchar
Señor, ¿dónde está mi amor?
Devuélvemela
Señor, ¿dónde está?
Señor, ¿dónde está?
Señor, ¿dónde está?
Señor, ¿dónde está?
¡¡Señor!!
Here the link to the song:
There are many legends from Granada that have been the inspiration of history, such as “Waiting for her in heaven” or the legend that hides behind the saying “It rains more than when Zafra was buried.”
It is interesting to see how Granada is able to awaken the spirit of those who live it and who can capture its magic.
In particular, we find it interesting how the group Mägo de Oz presents the story of the two lovers separated, in the case of the song, by a religious issue. And to pay attention to the concept of tolerance and claim it… Bravo!