José Tomás Sousa (Olivenza). Folklore musical de Olivenza (II)

Ao recolherem canções ligadas ao trabalho agrícola ou aos ciclos do ano, estavam também a aprender sobre a vida das pessoas que entrevistaram. A maioria das canções que recolheram são canções de amor, de diferentes perspectivas, tocando na nostalgia e saudade, bem como aspectos mais vivos, tais como as múltiplas saias ou jotas de pique, nas quais se propõe a competição por um pretendente ou uma relação romântica, especialmente no contexto da dança.

What was the process of recovering the repertoire? In the early days we were more interested in disseminating what we collected, not so much in research or arrangements, but as time went by we began to work in that direction. By collecting songs linked to agricultural work or the cycles of the year, they were also learning about the lives of the people they interviewed.

Most of the songs they collected are love songs, from different perspectives, touching on nostalgia and saudade as well as more lively aspects, such as the multiple saias or jotas de pique, in which competition for a suitor or a romantic relationship is proposed, especially in the context of the dance.