Brassens in Spain: an example of cultural transfer

Abstract

This article analyzes song translation from a cultural point of view, applying polysystem and cultural transfer theories, using as a case study the ways in which the work and style of French singersongwriter Georges Brassens has been exported-imported in Spain. In the first section, the translation of songsis described as a form of cultural transfer, with a fixed skopos within a specific context. Then, different forms of transfers are reviewed: cultural reception, stylistic appropriation/emulation and translation/adaptation. The second section analyses why and how the «quintessentially French» singer-songwriter Brassens has been so successfully integrated in the Spanish cultural reservoir, mainly through the role played in this transfer by artists such as Paco Ibáñez, Javier Krahe and Loquillo. Finally, the different strategies which lie behind musical transfers are explored alongside their role in the target culture