The use of Spanish popular songs as a weapon during the war: popular songs versus military hymns

Abstract

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), lots of popular songs were used in films, always as diegetic music, performed by famous actress called folklóricas. With the analysis of several musical numbers from different musical films of that period, we can check two distinct realities intrinsically representing the social and cultural change during that battle, where musical films had a clear lead role popularizing songs. On one hand, we find the most reactionary element to any changes, a feature Spanish cultural identity, the song starring aflamencado style, the most popular Spanish musical films symbolizing the "Spanish soul”, always sang by famous Spanish actors and actress. On another hand, we found military hymns, characteristic of the several countries which helped simultaneously the two bands during the Spanish civil war, with strong rhythms and texts, most of them sang by anonymous chorus, translating “international” texts into Spanish symbolizing the new social change. Which kind of popular music did win the war? Did it return the popular song to the real "Spanish soul" in those musical films performed by the most famous folklóricas of that period, Imperio Argentina or Estrellita Castro? We can have to look at several musical numbers in Spanish cinema of the 20s and 30s to confirm the evolution of popular song and musical number in Spain in that period and to see the protagonism of the contrafacted text during the three years of the war.