The trovo · the voice of the Alpujarra
In Murtas, words have a place at the table. Discover the tradition of improvised poetry behind the voice of this land.
Trovo is poetry improvised in dialogue. The performers compose their replies on the spot, with wit, rhyme and the participation of their listeners. Love, work, everyday life and satire can all become its subject: the topic changes, the gathering remains.
One of its characteristic forms is the quintilla: five lines of eight syllables. This short structure demands quick thinking, a good ear and a command of language. Ten-line décimas also appear in the Alpujarran tradition, through cultural exchanges with the Americas.
Trovo can be spoken or sung. Guitar, violin, lute or bandurria may accompany the voice. In the Alpujarra it is connected with farmhouse fandangos and dances such as the robao and the mudanza. Its words belong to a culture of gathering.
Murtas and Turón are two important places in the Alpujarran trovo tradition. It belongs to their people, and is passed on through listening and practice. It is oral memory, but also a living way of looking at the land with emotion, humour and wit.
The history of trovo is also the history of the people who worked this land. Anthropologist Francisco Checa explores its connections with Contraviesa wine, farmers and miners, and the changes brought by migration to the Campo de Dalías. Words travelled with people: from farmhouse and mine to street and stage.
Listening is participation too. At trovo gatherings, laughter and the audience’s response are part of the exchange: wit finds its meaning among others. Since 1982, the Alpujarra Traditional Music Festival has travelled between different towns in the region. On stage, trovo meets the people who keep it alive.
Cuatro Vientos · Murtas
Our wine museum preserves traditional tools, rooms and ways of working that help explain life in the Contraviesa. A visit is a chance to discover the place behind the bottle.
Visit the estate