On October 14, Smithsonian Folkways will release Songs of the Spanish Civil War, a historically vital collection of songs from the 1930s that reintroduces the hymnal of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, more than 2,600 American volunteers who fought General Francisco Franco in support of a democratic Spain.
Featuring Pete Seeger, Tom Glazer, Butch and Bess Hawes, Woody Guthrie, Ernst Busch, and Bart van der Schelling, this two-volume, single-CD album aims, as scholar Peter Glazer’s enriching liner notes explain, to “bring this activist history forward at a time when the causes are no less urgent, and the enemies of freedom no less dangerous.”
Band Details:
Songs of the Spanish Civil War is a historically vital collection of songs from the 1930’s that reintroduces the hymnal of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, in which more than 2600 American volunteers fought General Francisco Franco in support of a democratic Spain. Ranging from stirring folk melodies to adamant rallying cries, ‘Songs of the Spanish Civil War’ serves as a cultural touchstone. Featuring Pete Seeger, Tom Glazer, Butch and Bess Hawes, Woody Guthrie, Ernst Busch, and Bart van der Schelling, this two-volume, single CD album aims, as scholar Pete Glazer’s enriching liner notes explain, to “bring this activist history forward at a time when the causes are no less urgent, and the enemies of freedom no less dangerous.”
Recording Details:
Songs of the Spanish Civil War volume 1 was originally released on Moses Asch’s Folkways Records in 1961. It combined two separate recordings: Six Songs for Democracy, recorded in Spain in 1938 in the middle of an air raid on Barcelona, and Songs of the Lincoln Brigade, recorded by Pete Seeger and friends in 1944. Volume 2 was released on Folkway Records in 1962 and was divided into three sections. The first was originally pressed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the war and features Woody Guthrie, the second was recorded in the 1930’s and released as Songs We Remember, and the third was recorded in New York City in 1938 and released as From Behind the Barbed Wire. By popular request, and for the first time, these two volumes are paired together on one album.
Songs of the Spanish Civil War lineup of musicians – Pete Seeger, Tom Glazer, Butch and Bess Hawes, Ernst Busch, Woody Guthrie, the people of Catalonia/Seville/Asturias, and Bart van der Schelling.
Preview some tracks from the album here.
Tracklist:
VOLUME 1:
Part 1: ‘Songs of the Lincoln Brigade’ performed by Pete Seeger, Tom Glazer, Baldwin (Butch) Hawes, Bess Hawes
Jarama Valley
Cookhouse / The Young Man from Alcalá
Quartermaster Song
Viva la Quince Brigada (Long Live the 15th Brigade)
El Quinto Regimiento (The Fifth Regiment)
Si Me Quieres Escribir (If You Want to Write to Me)
Part 2: ‘Six Songs for Democracy’ sung by Ernst Busch and chorus
Los Cuatro Generales (The Four Generals)
Die Thälmann-Kolonne (The Thaelmann Column)
Hans Beimler
Das Lied von der Einheitsfront (Song of the United Front)
Lied der Internationalen Brigaden (Song of the International Brigades)
Die Moorsoldaten (The Peat Bog Soldiers)
VOLUME 2:
Part 1: Woody Guthrie; Ernst Busch accompanied by chorus and orchestra
Jarama
On the Jarama Front
Ballad of the XI Brigade
Hans Beimler, Comrade
Die Thälmann-Kolonne (The Thaelmann Column)
Part 2: ‘Songs We Remember’ sung by the people of Catalonia, Seville, and Asturias, Spain
Santa Espina
Sevillanos
The Road to Avilés
Part 3: ‘From Behind the Barbed Wire’ sung by Bart van der Schelling and the Exiles Chorus
La Guardia Rossa (The Red Guard)
Wie Hinterm Draht (Behind the Barbed Wire)
La Joven Guardia (The Youthful Guardsmen)
Au Devant de la Vie (Toward the New Life)
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