Barcelona-based duo breathes new life into lost havaneres 

The music duo Xicranda, started by Guillem Payaró and Martí Santacana, released their debut album 'Al Mestre Roglan,' a collection of previously unreleased havaneres written by the composer of one of the most performed havaneres, Josep M. Roglan. 

The Havanera is a traditional folk music genre in Spain, developed along coastal towns. The songs are usually about women, fisherman, and the sea. The genre grew in popularity in the 19th century, spreading from the theatre to taverns and homes. Many classic havaneres have been passed down generation to generation, including one of Roglan's most popular pieces: “La Barca Xica” (The song title’s similarity to Xicranda is a happy coincidence for the duo).  

Xicranda's album title, translated to ‘To Mr. Roglan’ in English, is a dedication to the composer. Payaró and Santacana found Roglan’s unpublished works through the Ernest Morató Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting havaneres. The Foundation received the pieces from Roglan’s daughter shortly after his death in 2012. 

“We don’t know if anyone had ever sung them or not,” said Payaró. “But in any case, they are very unpublished things.”

The task sounds daunting. Recording new havaneres does not happen very often. The genre rarely receives new songs, and groups continue to sing the same songs. There is no renewal. Performing music that has more than likely never been heard before, by the composer of one of the biggest havaneres could seem like a great amount of pressure, but the duo felt more “excitement than pressure” about the opportunity.  

Of course, some changes had to be made to the music to fit Xicranda's music style.  

“Most of them — the manuscripts — weren’t arranged for two voices and one guitar like our set up usually is.” Payaró told Catalan News. “So, we had to rewrite them a bit.” 

Keeping the harmonic structures, melodies and lyrics intact, Payaró and Santacana reduced the instrumentation of the music they received, which originally was designed for three singers, guitars, accordions and double basses. 

The goal was to make an album that sounds like Xicranda: “very delicate, very tender.” Some songs include the use of electric bass and drums, which Payaró admitted was a bit of an experiment.  

“In our view, it’s still a havanera,” Payaró said. “Because what really defines the genre for us is the spirit, the lyrics, the themes and the rhythmic pulse.” 

“It’s a reflection of what we believe: that tradition can evolve,” he added. “You can stay true to the heart of a genre while letting it breathe and grow with new influences.” 

Xicranda started to slip new songs from their album into live shows, with the belief that singing songs with “love and emotion” was enough to get the audience on board.  

“If you never give it to them, they’ll never be able to like it.” Payaró said. “So, we try to keep it balanced: some songs people already know and love, and a few that are brand new — and people have responded well.” 

Payaró and Santacama are embarking on tour July 6, with dates all across Spain, hoping to revitalize havaneres with Roglan’s compositions. 

What are Havaneres? 

Havaneres are a traditional music genre from Spain dating back to the 19th century. The music comes from hundreds of Indians who traveled overseas to Spanish colonies like Puerto Rico and Cuba.  

While sung in Catalan now, havaneres were originally sung in Spanish. As tourism came into Catalonia in the 1960s, havaneres became a tourist attraction, which also pulled performances out of bars and into theaters.  

One of the biggest celebrations of havaneres is the Cantada d’Havaneres on the beach of Calella de Palafrugell in the Costa Brava. Happening every July since 1966, the beach transforms into a stage full of havaneres performances, with hundreds of attendees and broadcast live on television.  

Press play below to listen to the Filling the Sink podcast episode on ‘Indians’ and ‘Havaneres’.