Els Setze Jutges

Els Setze Jutges (which in Spanish means The Sixteen Judges) was a group of Spanish singers in the Catalan language founded in 1961 by Miquel Porter i Moix, Remei Margarit and Josep Maria Espinàs. The name comes from the tongue twister in Catalan, "setze jutges d'un jutjat mengen fetge d'un penjat", which can be translated as "sixteen judges of a court eat the liver of a hanged man", a name that was born from a a certain ironic spirit and as a vindication because said tongue twister is difficult to pronounce for someone who does not have Catalan as their mother tongue.

The 16 components

The members of the group were at first amateurs who had their respective professions; some of them became professional later. The purpose of the entire group was to promote the Nova Cançó movement and normalize the use of Catalan in the world of modern music. They began with their own songs and with versions of French singers, especially Georges Brassens. Some of them (Joan Manuel Serrat, Guillermina Motta, Maria del Mar Bonet, Francesc Pi de la Serra, Rafael Subirachs or Lluís Llach, among the best known) continued singing, but others began to join their professions and left the song. The Valencian singer-songwriter Raimon was also linked to the Els Setze Jutges movement at the beginning of his career, contributing especially to the Nova Cançó movement. The circle expanded with the arrival of other artists. Including the three founders, and in chronological order, the "judges" ended up being the following:

• Miquel Porter i Moix
• Remei Margarit
• Josep Maria Espinàs
• Delfi Abella
• Francesc Pi de la Serra
• Enric Barbat
• Xavier Elies
• Guillermina Motta
• Maria del Carme Girau
• Martí Llauradó
• Joan Ramon Bonet
• Maria Amèlia Pedrerol
• Joan Manuel Serrat
• Maria del Mar Bonet
• Rafael Subirachs
• Lluís Llach.

On April 13, 2007, Els Setze Jutges received the Medal of Honor from the Parliament of Catalonia for their contribution to Catalan culture and language.

This movement developed in parallel to other similar ones in other areas of Spain, such as Ez Dok Amairu in the Basque Country or the Manifesto Canción del Sur in Andalusia.