12 Cellos in Paris

Paris, the city of people in Love. The city of beautiful romantic stories. The city of creativity, fashion, music and art. I’ve visited it recently for the first time in my life and was so mesmerized that couldn't but dedicate a small post to it :)

Before proceeding to the music of Paris, let me write a couple of facts here that surprised me about this little charming paradise.

1. Paris the name of which derives from an old tribe Parisii is also known as “the city of lights” – but it is not explained by the big amount of lighting in the streets or at the bridges over Seine (90% of them are lit) but rather by the big number of intellectuals that live there.
2. Surprisingly, neither the Eiffel Tower nor the Louvre are the city’s most visited sights. Disneyland Paris is! 13 mln tourists annually (compared to ~5 mln visits for Eiffel or Louvre).
3. French baguette is not just an association with Paris but its symbol that has its very strict measurements: 65 cm in length and 6 cm in width – otherwise, it’s not a French baguette!
4. By the time of the great revolution, only 15% of the citizens spoke French as a native language – 75% didn’t! Maybe that’s why + a massive inflow of immigrants is the reason why you can hear/see such a mixture of various nationalities in the streets of Paris.

Paris would not be the city of art if it wasn’t the home of some of the world’s most outstanding composers. To start the list with the names of Berlioz, Bizet, Debussy, Faure, Lully, Ravel, Saint-Saens is just a warm-up! Those are the natives, and what if we start remembering how many music pieces have been dedicated to Paris during the lifetime. Here is a lovely tune for 12 cellos that was created in the love for this city as well. The wonderful thing is that you can be just strolling in the center of the city quietly and come across a professional musician just sitting out there at the corner and playing his beloved instrument for you.

Paris, I’m already in love with you and I’m surely coming to see you once again!

Guantanamera Arranged for Guitar

Cuba, ‘the island of liberty’, so original and exotic in its essence, is a highly patriotic country. So would be its music, it seems. But surprisingly, the song that is often perceived as a truly national tune of the country does not have so much of patriotism about it, if you dig deeper. “Guantanamera” (Spanish for ‘girl from Guantanamo’), both Cuban and international hit, is about a province girl and a romantic relationship – that’s how it began.

Cuban Grannies Smoking Cigars

The music of the song is now a decided matter – in 1993 Jose Fernandez officially won the battle being now called both composer and the first promoter of the song (mostly through his radio shows). But in terms of the lyrics, there is still a lot of arguing. Some say that originally it was a story about Fernandez himself and a girl that brought a sandwich to one of his radio shows and who he felt platonic love for. According to other version, Garcia Wilson, who claimed to be the song’s co-composer, also had a romantic story but the girl turned him down.

The original lyrics, however, are not to be heard in the song today. What we enjoy is the adaptation of 4 verses (stanzas) from various poems by Jose Marti, Cuba’s national hero and independence fighter. Maybe at least this sole fact adds up 80% of patriotism to the song and all the original versions stay in the shadow. Guantanamera soon received the unofficial status of the national anthem, the symbol of unity, and was even used as a ‘peace-maker’ during the missile crisis. The most successful recording of the famous song is attributed to The Sandpipers and is based on the song’s adaptation by Pete Seeger.