Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born 1941, in Igualada, Catalonia) is a Catalan vi… Read Full Bio ↴Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born 1941, in Igualada, Catalonia) is a Catalan viol player and composer. He is one of the major figures in the field of early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for bringing the viol (viola da gamba) back to life on the stage. His repertory ranges from Medieval to Renaissance and Baroque music.

Savall's musical training started in the school choir of his native town (1947-55). He later completed his training at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music (1959-65). Afterward, he began his specialisation in early music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland (1968-70).

In 1974 he formed the ensemble Hespèrion XX (since 2000 as Hespèrion XXI), together with the soprano Montserrat Figueras (his wife), Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith. Hespèrion XX favored a style of interpretation characterised by great musical vitality and at the same time, maximum historical accuracy.

In 1987 he returned to Barcelona to found La Capella Reial de Catalunya, a vocal ensemble devoted to the interpretation of music prior to the 18th century.

Finally, in 1989 Savall created Le Concert des Nations, an orchestra that is generally dedicated to the baroque repertoire, but which sometimes also serves as an outlet for music that hails from the classical/romantic repertoire (e.g. Sinfonia a Gran Orquesta by Juan Crisótomo de Arriga).

Savall's discography includes more than 140 recordings. Since 1998 he has released his records with his own label, Alia Vox.

Jordi Savall is also a two-time Grammy nominee, who scored the 1991 Alain Corneau film, Tous les matins du monde (also awarded the César of the French film industry in 1992). The soundtrack, re-released on his own Alia Vox label, has sold more than a million copies worldwide.

Villancico: Aquella mora garrida
Jordi Savall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

¡Aquella mora garrida!
Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.

Mi madre, por me dar plazer,
a coger rrosas m’embfa.
Moros andan a saltear
y a mi llévanme cativa.
Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.

El moro que me prendiera
allende la mar m’enbfa.
Llorava, quando lo supo,
un amigo que yo avya.
Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.

Con el gran dolor que siente,
estas palabras dezfa:

¡Aquella mora garrida!
Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.

Overall Meaning

In the song "Villancico: Aquella mora garrida" by Jordi Savall, the lyrics depict the anguish and sorrow caused by the love of a beautiful Muslim woman. The singer expresses their distress and unease over their mother's attempt to bring them pleasure by picking roses, as the presence of Moors who roam around and the risk of being taken captive by them add to their sadness. The singer reveals that a Moorish man captured them and took them across the sea, causing their friend to weep upon hearing the news. With great pain and sadness, the singer repeats the refrain, emphasizing the captivating beauty of the Moorish woman and the misery her love brings to their life.

Line by Line Meaning

¡Aquella mora garrida!
Oh, that beautiful Moorish woman!

Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.
Her loves cause sorrow in my life.

Mi madre, por me dar plazer, a coger rrosas m’embfa.
My mother, to please me, sent me to pick roses.

Moros andan a saltear y a mi llévanme cativa.
Moors are raiding and taking me captive.

Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.
Her loves cause sorrow in my life.

El moro que me prendiera, allende la mar m’enbfa.
The Moor who captured me, took me beyond the sea.

Llorava, quando lo supo, un amigo que yo avya.
Crying, when my friend found out.

Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.
Her loves cause sorrow in my life.

Con el gran dolor que siente, estas palabras dezfa:
With the intense pain I feel, I utter these words:

¡Aquella mora garrida!
Oh, that beautiful Moorish woman!

Sus amores dan pena a mi vida.
Her loves cause sorrow in my life.