Sección Femenina: Documenting and Performing Spanish Musical Folklore During the Early Franco Regime (1939–1953)

Abstract

Abstract The Franco regime (1939–75) used Spanish musical traditions as a form of propaganda and cultural diplomacy during the first two decades of the dictatorship––a period that saw Spain transform itself from a supporter of Nazi Germany to a staunch ally of the Western Bloc. Based on archival work conducted in eight archives throughout Andalusia and Madrid, the rather monolithic view of how the Franco regime portrayed Spanish identity within the nation, the Protectorates in Morocco, and the United Kingdom is challenged. The Sección Femenina, the women’s section of the fascist Falange party, represented an official view of folk music and women’s role in society. Thus far unexplored musical transcriptions, correspondence, and newspaper reviews give us a better understanding of how the 30,000-plus members of the Sección Femenina collected, taught, and performed musical folklore while promoting the regime’s differing concepts of history, gender roles, and the ‘Spanish race’ according to different geopolitical circumstances.