“Asturias, Patria querida” is the official anthem of the Principality of Asturias, in Spain. It is a popular song that was so rooted among the Asturians that it was finally chosen as an anthem. But few know that its origin is related to one of the most important Cuban musicians, the author of well-known sones and the founder in 1927 of the Septeto Nacional, Ignacio Piñeiro from Havana.
Researcher and folklorist Fernando de la Puente Hevia assures that the melody was adapted from a theme that the Silesian miners used to sing in the Mining Basins of Caudal and Mieres at the beginning of the 20th century, whose lyrics were written by Piñeiro (1888-1969) to pay homage to his Asturian father, Marcelino Rodríguez, who had returned to his homeland to die in 1926.
The words of the hymn say thus: «Asturias, dear country, / Asturias my love; / I wish I were in Asturias / on every occasion! // I have to climb the tree, / I have to pick the flower, / and give it to my brunette / so that she puts it on the balcony. // Come on, put it on the balcony, / stop putting it now, / I have to climb the tree / and the flower I have to pick ».
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