(An English language summary of the book L´Asturianada, which was awarded the "Máximo Fuertes Acevedo" Essay Prize of Asturias, 1998.)

     Within the generally accepted structures of European music and more specifically within Spain, the tonada is the most singular and recognizable genre in Asturian music. This is due to the particular manner of interpretation employed by the Asturian cantadores of tonada at the beginning of the 20th century. This special manner of interpretation was recognized by various scholars, musicians and other experts in folklore at the turn of the century. They, in turn, were influenced by certain ideas - regionalist insofar as their political content and nationalist insofar as their musical content - that pushed them to uncover the most qualitative traits and details of the Asturian personality in the tonada.

     The specialization born out of the technical difficulty of interpreting tonada as well as its festive nature allows the tonada to be the only expression of our folklore that is not expressly related to the past. That is to say, the tonada is an up-to-date manifestation of Asturian musical culture. It contains abundant roots to the past but is also inarguably vibrant in the present. The danza around the bonfire on St. John´s Night, any of the Pericotes that are danced in Llanes or the skips of a fandango (for example, the xiringüelu) are manifestations recreated by the participants based on a certain epoch and reenacted with the goal of maintaining their cultural purity. This applies to the manner of singing and the musical interpretation of the melodies as well as to the wardrobes of the dancers and of other official participants. The tonada belongs to the past, the present and the future. Although like most popular traditions, it is going through difficult times, it is by no means a dead genre or even endangered.

     The asturianada encompasses the tonada repertoire. The tonada and the Asturian language, in which most of the tonada songs are written, are perhaps the most recognizable cultural elements of Asturias. The term asturianada exists precisely because Asturias exists. Therefore, coming from a vision that is at once romantic, regional and national, the term clearly represents one of the most identifiable aspects of this region. It has its own musical jargon, and it is performed in very concrete cultural surroundings. Over the course of the 20th century it has become a clear and unique mark of identity, different from any other traditional music.

     Two important obstacles arise when undertaking a historical survey of the evolution of this particular singing style: the lack of knowledge of the tonada repertoire prior to the last years of the 19th century and the uncertainty surrounding the origins of the songs. There is very little written on these subjects and on Asturian music in general before 1885. During that year the songbook, "Todo Por Asturias. Primer capricho pot-pourrístico sobre cantos populares de Asturias," by Rufino G. Nuevo y Miranda, was published. It consists of a suite containing sixteen popular songs that run the general tastes of the times. Fifteen are melodies accompanied by their texts, and there is one other, "Zarabanda asturiana al son de gaita y tambor." The second song in the suite is the ever-popular "Soi de Pravia," a renowned melody at the time as is demonstrated by its inclusion in several other songbooks and its use as the title of one of the most successful works by the playwright Vital Aza.

     As is often the case, the question of origin is complex. The few studies done until now do not generally go beyond formulating suppositions and are for the most part difficult to take into serious consideration. The search for the sources from which traditions take root and grow tends to reflect times, tastes and styles. So it is understandable that the origins of traditional Asturian music have been attributed to Celtic or Arab sources, Gregorian chant or flamenco...

     What is certain is that the tonada and its current variations have a documented history dating back a little over a hundred years and an unknown history before that time which is difficult to ascertain. Before 1885 this song genre is completely ignored. It is publicly recognized for the first time with the publication of the work by Nueva y Miranda (who was from Avilés). Until then, it appears that these popular songs, accompanied by piano arrangements written for the tastes of the dance salons of the period, don't deserve attention.

     The characteristics that define the tonada are significant enough so that they eventually extend themselves, via the voices of the cantadores, to other genres of Asturian song. Song forms such as the vaqueira, the añada, the xiraldilla, etc., which are typically associated with other cultural settings and activities, have become integrated into the standard repertoire of the tonada performers.

     In this manner, over the course of the 20th century, the term asturianada came to define the Asturian singing style, which would then include the characteristics that pertain to the singing style of the traditional tonada. Although today the terms tonada and asturianada are used indiscriminately, the distinction between the two must be made. The terms tonada and tonada de la tierra (as shown by Bemunt y Canella) had been the popular way of describing this difference in song styles in the 19th century. The term asturianada replaced tonada de la tierra during the 20th century. Likewise, the term used for distinguishing singers of tonada and asturianada is cantador (or cantadora).

     As stated earlier, there are few published studies on Asturian music. This fact becomes more evident if we compare the abundant bibliography that other areas of Asturian culture have produced. Eduardo Martínez Torner realized a series of interesting musical studies, which today require further elaboration. Nevertheless, the tonada does not appear, even in the works of Torner, as a separate musical genre.

     Today, the tonada continues to be the most identifiable genre in Asturian music. Due to the pliant nature of this musical form, the future holds great expectations. However, the present-day performers find themselves in the dilemma formed by a lack of musical knowledge and a continual reiteration of the classic repertoire.

     This lack of knowledge shown by the cantadores de tonada toward their genre gives rise to a reiterative repetition of those songs, which are considered classics. This in turn generates a disregard for the fact that in their day, these same classic songs served both as creators and transmitters of various styles. At the present time, this vacuum of creativity represents the main threat to the future of the tonada. The problem has been fomented for several years now in Asturian song competitions. In these contests the scoring systems favor, above all other musical factors, the most faithful reproduction of a song based on the recognized versions of various classic cantadores. These versions become models that present-day artists are obliged to imitate. Today, none of the existing competitions - and there are many - include, as part their official regulations, the creation of new tonaes (tonada songs) as a condition for participation and scoring.

     Without creativity, the tonada in a short period of time will become a genre existing only to be conserved, a respected tradition no longer alive. Imitating classic artists and their performances can be a useful exercise in style. Nevertheless, the great tonada singers of yesteryear are considered classics because they achieved their own voice and sound - "el so sellu" - in a series of songs that today are well represented. This continues to be the best path to follow for the current cantadores.

Translation: Michael Lee Wolfe.