Music of Catalonia - History

History

In the Middle Ages, Barcelona and the surrounding area were relatively prosperous, and both music and arts were cultivated actively. Catalonia and adjacent areas were the home for some troubadours, the itinerant composer-musicians whose influence and aesthetics was decisive on the formation of late medieval secular music, and who travelled into Italy and Northern France after the destruction of Occitanian 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 Catalunya, 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 for 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 Catalunya today, including the Barcelona Orchestra.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, two Catalan composers--Enrique Granados and Isaac Albéniz--became the most famous composers in Spain. Francisco Tárrega and Miguel 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. Federico 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.