was told recently by a Portuguese bagpiper [ gaita player] that the 'alboradas' of the northern Spanish ( and portuguese) Celtic regions are tunes which depict the passage of the sun across the sky. The tunes traditionally started off on a low note, and consisted of multiple figures, each of which depicts a different hour or phase of the day. The pitch of the melody rises gradually to a high point, which represents midday, and then descends, like the sun gradually back to the low note. he said the tune could consist of 11 different figures. The gaita-player even said that the different figures would be played by pipers at different stages of the day. fascinating, eh ?
certainly, that is the pattern of an alborada I know which was played by the Asturian group Felpeyu (now defunct i believe). Does anyone have any more info on this ?