Music of Catalonia

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Catalan / Valencian cultural domain

The pipe organ at Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona

History

* Andorra
* Balearic Islands
* Catalonia (timeline)
* Roussillon
* Sardinia
* Valencia
* Crown of Aragon
* Principality of Catalonia
* Kingdom of Majorca
* Kingdom of Valencia
* Catalan constitutions
* Furs of Valencia
* Treaty of the Pyrenees
* Nueva Planta

People

* Andorrans
* Aragonese
* Balearics
* Ibizans
* Majorcans
* Minorcans
* Catalans
* Alguerese
* Valencians

Language

* History
* Literature
* Dialects and varieties
* Grammar
* Pronunciation
* Phonetic history
* IPA guide
* Spelling-to-sound charts
* Orthography
* Alphabet
* Braille
* Morpho-syntax
* Nouns
* Personal pronouns
* Verbs (Conjugation)

* Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (AVL)
* Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC)
* Institut and Fundació Ramon Llull (IRL & FRL)

Geo-political divisions

* Andorra
* La Franja
* Balearic Islands
* Ibiza
* Majorca
* Minorca
* Catalonia
* El Carxe
* Pyrénées-Orientales (Northern Catalonia)
* L'Alguer
* Valencia
See Catalan Countries

Government and politics

* General Council of Andorra (Politics)
* Courts of Aragon (Politics)
* Government of the Balearic Islands (Politics)
* Generalitat of Catalonia (Politics)
* General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales (Politics)
* Generalitat of Valencia (Politics)
See Catalan and Valencian nationalism, Catalanophobia

Traditions

* Myths and legends
* Traditions

* Caganer
* Castells
* Correfoc
* Falles
* Fogueres de Sant Joan
* Gegants i capgrossos
* Moros i cristians
* Muixeranga
* Saint George's Day
* Sardana
* Tió de Nadal

Cuisine

* Catalan cuisine
* Coca
* Ensaïmada
* Pa amb tomàquet
* Paella

Art

* Catalan art
* Antoni Gaudí
* Antoni Tàpies
* Joan Miró
* Joaquim Sorolla
* Salvador Dalí

Literature

* Literature
* Segle d'or
* Decadència
* Renaixença
* Modernisme
* Noucentisme

Music and performing arts

* Music
* Nova cançó
* Rock català
* Rumba catalana

Media

* Cinema of Catalonia
* Television in Catalonia

Sport

Sport in Catalonia

Symbols

* Catalonia
* Flags
* Andorra
* Balearic Islands
* Catalonia
* Valencia
* Blasons
* Andorra
* Balearic Islands
* Catalonia
* Valencia
* Anthems
* El Gran Carlemany
* Els Segadors
* La Balanguera
* Himne de l'Exposició
* Days
* Saint John's Eve
* Andorra
* Balearic Islands
* Catalonia
* Valencia

* v
* t
* e

The music of Catalonia comprises one of the oldest documented musical traditions in Europe.[citation needed] In tandem with the rest of Western Europe, it has a long musical tradition, incorporating a number of different styles and genres over the past two thousand years.[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

Among the earliest references to music from Catalonia date to the Middle Ages, when Barcelona and the surrounding area were relatively prosperous, allowing both music and arts to be cultivated actively. Catalonia and adjacent areas were the home for several troubadours, the itinerant composer-musicians whose influence and aesthetics was decisive on the formation of late medieval secular music, and who traveled into Italy and Northern France after the destruction of Occitan culture by the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century. The so-called Llibre Vermell de Montserrat ("Red Book of Montserrat") stands as an important source for 14th-century music.

Renaissance polyphony flourished in Catalonia, though local composers never attained the fame of either the Spanish composers to the South and West or the French composers to the North. Joan Pau Pujol wrote four books of polyphonic masses and motets in honor of the patron saint of Barcelona, St. George.

Performances of opera, mostly imported from Italy, began in the 18th century, but some native operas were written as well, including three by Isaac Albéniz and seven by Enrique Granados. The Barcelona opera house, Gran Teatre del Liceu, which opened in 1847, remains one of the most important in Spain; in addition, in the mid-19th century the first Barcelona Philharmonic Society was founded for the performance of orchestral music. Several symphonic orchestras exist in Catalonia today, including the Barcelona Orchestra.

### 20th century

[edit]

Around the beginning of the 20th century, two Catalan composers—Enric Granados and Isaac Albéniz—became the most famous composers in Spain.[citation needed] Francisco Tárrega and Miquel Llobet expanded the technical possibilities of guitar. Their music remains in the standard classical repertory today. Cellist Pau Casals is admired as an outstanding player. Frederic Mompou (1893–1987) is known for his delicate piano works, which often have a Catalan flavor. He spent most of his life in Paris, returning to his native Barcelona only during and after World War II.

A tradition of Catalan art songs also developed, following a similar popularity in the rest of Spain. These have been performed and promoted by Catalan artists, including an album of Catalan folk-songs by Victoria de los Angeles (1991) and an album of more classical songs by José Carreras (1991).

## Folk and popular music

[edit]

Originally from northern areas of Catalonia, Sardanes are popular dances, and were especially widespread at the end of the 19th century. Currently, two main types, the original sardana curta (short sardana) style and more modern sardana llarga (long sardana), are generally performed. While music is performed by a cobla musical group, sardanes are danced in a circle dance. Other less common sardanes include the sardana de lluïment and the sardana revessa.

The cobla itself is an 11-piece band, that includes genuine folk instruments such as the flabiol (tabor pipe) and tambori, tenora, tible which are also used in other regions of Spain. Coblas also frequently play as concert bands without the dance.

Other popular music are the ball de bastons (stick dances), galops, espunyolets, ball de panderetes, ball de gitanes and the music of gralla (music) (a kind of Catalan shawm)and drums used in cercaviles or by colles diableres, etc.

Catalan music incorporates a number of unique instruments, including the flabiol, a type of pipe woodwind, tambori, a small drum, and the guitarra de canya, a xylophone-like instrument made of bones or reeds that is suspended from the musician's neck.

In areas around the river Ebre, like in nearby Aragon and Valencia, the jota is a popular dance.

Sung in both Catalan and Spanish, Havaneres have been very popular at parties since the end of the 19th century when sailors returned from the War of the Cuban Independence.

In the last half century, the rumba catalana genre has spread in Catalonia, played mostly by Gypsies, including popular performers like Peret and Gato Pérez.

During the end of the Franco period, a movement known as Nova Cançó emerged. Nova Cançó singers sang in Catalan, denouncing the official oppression of the language. The pioneering group of singer-songwriters, Els Setze Jutges, was founded in 1961 in Barcelona and came to include several singers from Catalonia, including Joan Manuel Serrat and Lluís Llach, as well as members from the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community. Grup de Folk and Esquirols were other notable cançó groups.

In the last 20 years, rock and roll has become popular, and a Catalan scene called rock català has appeared. Some very popular groups are Lax'n'Busto, Sau, Els Pets or Sopa de Cabra.[1] and more recently, groups such as Doctor Prats[2] and Buhos[3]

In the wake of Mano Negra and Manu Chao's success, Catalonia has also produced a number of popular fusion and world music bands, such as Dusminguet or Cheb Balowski. Ojos de Brujo, a band from Barcelona merging traditional flamenco with hip-hop, has also become popular.

Contemporary music sung in Catalan has been relatively successful, and includes music in genres such as pop (Antònia Font, Manel, Els Amics de les Arts, Mishima, Sanjosex) and hip-hop (At Versaris, Guillamino).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Montserrat, Galeano Haba; Josep, Recoder, Maria (1 January 2016). "Historia de la prensa musical especializada en rock en Cataluña (1985–2015)" (in Catalan). `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. ^ "Els terrassencs Doctor Prats fan el seu primer concert en directe a Faktoria" [The Terrassan group Doctor Prats give their first live concert in Faktoria], terrassadigital.cat (in Catalan), archived from the original on 19 September 2016, retrieved 19 March 2020
3. ^ Radio 4; RTVE.es (1 March 2017). "Premi Disc Català de l'any 2016 | 'Lluna plena' del grup Buhos, premi 'Disc Català de l'Any' de Ràdio 4" [Catalan Album Award of the year 2016 | 'Lluna plena' ('Full Moon') by the group 'Buhos']. RTVE (in Catalan). Retrieved 30 September 2019.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

## Further reading

[edit]

* "Spain", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Music of Catalonia.

* Scores for gralla
* MIDI files of folk songs collected by Palmira Jaquetti, Joan Tomàs and Joan Amades
* Discmedi the biggest music producer of Catalonia

* v
* t
* e

Catalonia articles

History|

* Timeline
* Iberians
* Roman Hispania
* County of Barcelona
* Constitutions
* Crown of Aragon
* Principality of Catalonia
* Civil War
* Catholic Monarchs
* Habsburg
* Reapers' War (Republic (1640–1641), Northern Catalonia loss)
* War of Succession (War of the Catalans)
* Nueva Planta
* Renaixença
* Commonwealth
* Republic (1931)
* Republican Generalitat
* Statute of Autonomy (1932)
* Events of 6 October
* Revolution
* Francoism
* Statute of Autonomy (1979)
* Statute of Autonomy (2006)
* Declaration of independence (2017 referendum)

Geography|

* Climate
* Forests
* Mountains
* Rivers
* Extreme points

Subdivisions|

* Vegueries
* Unique territorial entity (Val d'Aran)
* Counties
* Municipalities
* Terçons
* Spanish provinces

Politics|

* Elections
* Generalitat
* Parliament
* Government
* President
* Political parties
* Police force
* International relations
* Independence movement

Economy|

* Catalan peseta
* Financial crisis
* Property bubble
* Rail
* Roads
* Airports
* Tourism
* Trade unions
* Transport
* Wine

Society|

* Crime
* Demographics
* Education
* Health care
* Law
* People
* Prostitution
* Religion
* Traditions

Culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Caganer
* Castell
* Correfoc
* Cuisine
* Gegants i capgrossos
* Language
* Literature
* Music
* Mythology
* Public holidays
* Sardana
* Seny
* Sport
* Football
* Tió de Nadal

Symbols|

* Flag
* Coat of arms
* Anthem
* National Day
* St George's Day
* Pi de les Tres Branques
* Catalan donkey

* Outline

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Music of Spain

Styles|

* Bolero
* Catalan rumba
* Chirigota
* Copla
* Cuplé
* Endecha
* Ensalada
* Fandango
* Folia
* Isa
* Jácara
* Jota
* Muiñeira
* New flamenco
* Nova Cançó
* Pasacalle
* Pasodoble
* Rock català
* Rock urbano
* Seguidilla
* Sevillana
* Tajaraste
* Tiento
* Tonadilla
* Tono humano
* Villancico
* Xiringüelu
* Zarzuela
* Género chico
* Romani

Flamenco (palos)|

* Alegrías
* Alboreá
* Bambera
* Bulerías
* Cante
* Cante jondo
* Cantes a palo seco
* Cantes libres
* Cantiñas
* Campanilleros
* Cartageneras
* Farruca
* Flamenco jazz
* Garrotín
* Granaína
* Guajiras
* Malagueñas
* Martinetes
* Peteneras
* Polo
* Rumba
* Saeta
* Siguiriyas
* Soleá
* Soleá por Bulerías
* Tango
* Tarantas
* Tientos
* Tonás
* Verdiales
* Zambra
* Romani (Gypsy)

Music by region|

* Andalusia
* Aragon
* Balearic Islands
* Basque Country
* Canary Islands
* Castile and Leon
* Catalonia
* Extremadura
* Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias
* Murcia
* Navarre and La Rioja
* Valencia

Music by genre|

* Spanish folk music
* Spanish jazz
* Spanish hip hop
* Spanish opera
* Spanish rock

Music festivals|

* Benidorm International Song Festival
* Eurovision Song Contest
* Benidorm Fest
* Festival Internacional de Santander
* OTI Festival

Musical instruments|

* Alboka
* Bandurria
* Castanets
* Catalan shawm
* Chácaras
* Cross-strung harp
* Dulzaina
* Fiscorn
* Flabiol
* Gaita gastoreña
* Gralla
* Guitarra de canya
* Guitarro
* Kirikoketa
* Palmas
* Psalterium
* Rabel
* Tambori
* Timple
* Trikiti
* Txalaparta
* Txistu
* Vihuela
* Viol
* Xirula
* Zambomba

Gaita|

* Asturian
* de boto
* Cabreiresa
* Galician
* Odrecillo
* de saco
* Sanabresa
* Sac de gemecs
* Xeremia

Guitar|

* Baroque
* Classical
* Flamenco
* Latina
* Morisca

Music ensembles|

* Cobla
* Charanga
* Chirigota
* Comparsa
* Rondalla
* Tuna

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template