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deMurcia Fagina???

I was leafing (actually clicking) through deMurcia's Passacalles y Obras facsimile and came across a solo piece called ''Fagina". Now, other than the Austin Powers character Alotta Fagina, I have never heard of this dance. Any idea what it is (and whether the anatomic association is real or lost in the translation)?

I've attached my modern tab realization.

Attachments:

Fagina.pdf, 9 KB

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Permalink Reply by Juan Pablo Pira on February 1, 2009 at 13:57

A short and rather confusing title. I doubt there is an anatomic association... if that were the intention, a coarser word would have been more effective than a technical one. My guesses:
1) Maybe it is "Página" as in a small page of exercises or something.
2) It could be a diminutive of Faja. It is more Italian-sounding than would be the well-known "fajita", but that kind of diminutive is not unheard of... there is teatrino, tesina, filmina and many others. Faja, understood as a "belt", is something to tie to things together. Looking at the piece, it looks like something that could be used to place between, or tie together, two pieces.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Shoskes on February 1, 2009 at 14:06

Thanks very much for the info, your explanation makes good sense.

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Permalink Reply by Monica Hall on February 9, 2009 at 13:12

Hi Daniel

Fagina (actually Fajina) is a military term which refers to the bugle signal for the call to mess or quarters. It is one of a group of trumpet pieces some of which are also found in a keyboard manuscript copied by Martin y Coll.

Cheers

Monica

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Permalink Reply by Juan Pablo Pira on February 9, 2009 at 13:52

Thank you for the information. The word is still in use. According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española:
fajina.
(De un der. del lat. fascis, infl. por el it. fascina).
1. f. Conjunto de haces de mies que se pone en las eras.
2. f. Leña ligera para encender.
3. f. Mil. Haz de ramas delgadas muy apretadas que usaban los ingenieros militares especialmente para revestimientos. También las había para coronar, incendiar, etc.
4. f. Mil. Toque que convoca a la tropa para la comida.
5. f. Mil. p. us. Trabajos determinados que había de hacer la tropa.
6. f. Sal. Haza, huerta, tierra cercada dedicada al cultivo intensivo.
7. f. rur. Ur. Pared formada por haces de ramas, paja o cañas unidos y recubiertos de barro, que se utiliza en la construcción de ranchos.