One of the republicans' propaganda tools was the singing of traditional folk songs, familiar to and much loved by the entire populace, but provided with new, anti-fascist texts.
In 1938 the composers Rodolfo Halffter and Gustavo Pittalugo, who had fled from Spain, arranged a number of these songs for voice and orchestra and recorded them in Paris on five LPs, soon grown to legendary fame.
Unfortunately, it proved impossible to trace the sheet music, even after extensive research including Halffter's possessions. The versions performed by the Ebony Band were transcribed from the old recordings by Werner Herbers and performed at a Holland Festival concert on 23 June 1991 in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw; they were issued on the Ebony Band CD Music from the Spanish Civil War (BVHaast CD9203).
1.- El tren blindado (ar. Halffter)
2.- Coplas de la defensa de Madrid (arr. Pittaluga)
3.- Que sera (arr. Pittaluga)
4.- El paso del Ebro (arr. Halffter)
5.- Els Segadors (?)