El Testament D'Amelia

El Testament D'Amelia

Traditional Catalan
Arr. Miguel Llobet


El testament d'Amèlia is a medieval Catalan folk song. It tells the sad and chiling story of a young lady in her deathbed who knowingly drank the poisoned drink given to her by her stepmother, whom she knows has been sleeping with her husband.

It is commonly known as the first part of Miguel Llobet's Canciones Populares Catalanas. Llobet's D minor arrangement has become the accepted classic version for this piece. It has been recorded by Llobet, Andrés Segovia, John Williams, Julian Bream, Pepe Romero, David Russell, Guy Bacon, Chet Atkins, Stefano Grondona and many others.

Miguel Llobet Solés (18 October 1878 – 22 February 1938) was a classical guitarist, born in Barcelona, Spain. Llobet was a renowned virtuoso who toured Europe and America extensively. He made well known arrangements of Catalan folk songs for the solo guitar, made famous arrangements for the guitar of the piano compositions of Isaac Albéniz, arrangements immortalized by Andrés Segovia, and was also the composer of original works.

This sad piece is selected as one of RCM (The Royal Conservatory of Music) grade 7 repertoire.

String 6: D
Time signature: 3/4
Tempo: (88 - 104 BPM)



Lyric in Catalan:

Narrador:
Malalta està, malalta,
la filla del bon rei.
Comtes la van a veure
comtes i noble gent.

Cor: Amelia:
"Ai, que el meu cor s'em nua
com un pom de clavells".

Narrador:
També hi va sa mare
quan ja no hi ha remei.

Reina:
"Filla, la meva filla,
de quin mal us queixeu?"

Cor: Amelia:
"Ai, que el meu cor s'em nua
com un pom de clavells".

Amelia:
"Mare, la meva mare,
bé prou que ho sabeu,
metzines m'heu donades
que em nuen el cor meu".

Cor: Amelia
"Ai, que el meu cor s'em nua
com un pom de clavells