'Tu Gitana' - Medieval Portuguese ballad (LYRICS + Translation)

Artist: Companhia Do Canto Popular
Album: "Rebento" (2019)

Origin: Elvas, Portugal
Genre: baroque vilancico

The song 'Tu Gitana' appears in the discography of Zeca Afonso as belonging to the 'Cancioneiro of Vila Viçosa', however this town never had a known cancioneiro. But there is an anonymous song of the vilancico genre from the 16th century, by the name 'Tu gitana que adeuinas', which is part of the Cancioneiro of Elvas (a known portuguese cancioneiro).This Renaissance songbook contains both portuguese and castilian works, and this one in particular seems to have been original written in castilian. Zeca Afonso only modifies the second quadra (quatrain), creating a new one, but keeps the rest of the original composition and creates this type of melodie, which influenced other versions of the song, such as that of the known Galician band Luar na lubre.

At the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century, the term "vilancico" appeared, referring to a song in which the refrain was composed of two or three verses. It began by being called "chansoneta", a name which came to coexist with "vilancico" and was given to it at the end of the 15th century. It was derived from the word "vilhano", which means peasant in Castilian. Thus, the theme naturally related to the peasant and profane elements, and it was often used by the folk, who sang and danced during the pilgrimages and was preferred by the nobles to entertain the evenings at court and in the palaces. Also, it was influenced by the Arabic zéjel, the French virelai and the Italian balata, while maintaining its simple peninsular characteristics. From the 15th century onwards, it begins to embrace a more religious meaning first outside and then inside Christian churches, until eventually becoming religious

Artwork: "The Gypsies" by Thomas Kent Pelham (unknown date)

[gatolian]

Que Hermosa interpretación... gracias y saludos desde Chile, al Sur del mundo!

[LeniaGlarou]

Me encanta esta cancion. Saludos desde Grecia❤

[H.AGUIARR]

LETRA:
Tu gitana que adivinhas
Me lo digas, poes no lo sê
Se saldre dessa aventura
Ô si nela moriré
Ô si nela perco la vida
Ô si nela triumfare
Tu gitana que adivinhas
Me lo digas, poes no lo sê.

[botaabaixo]

A letra é medieval, salvo erro do Cancioneiro de Vila Viçosa, mas a música é do grande letrista, compositor e cantor José Afonso.