And speaking of duets, this piece is a real duet. While cleaning out my hard drive, I discovered that I had recorded the first guitar part for this several years ago (the accompaniment), and never gotten around to recording the second line (the principal guitar, in this case).

“El noi de la mare” is yet another of the Catalan popular melodies so nicely transcribed by Llobet for guitar. It is a traditional (and quite popular) Christmas song in Spain. The title means literally “the boy of the mother,” or in better English “the mother’s son,” and refers, of course, to the birth of Christ. The lyrics of the song ask, what we shall give to the child? And the proposed answers are all traditional Catalonian food items that would preserve well for the winter months—raisins, figs, olives, nuts, honey and cheese (well, not necessarily the figs, but the song addresses that problem by saying the baby can wait until Easter for the figs).

So, basically, when Jesus come back to Earth and visits Barcelona they’re going to serve him tapas.