Choral Singing in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Abstract

Since Josep Anselm Clavé created choral singing in Catalonia in 1850, it has become one element of identification of Catalan culture. When the Orfeó Català was set up in 1891 it generated an associative movement that was fundamental to the cultural life of the country thanks to the creation of the Germanor dels Orfeons de Catalunya (Brotherhood of Catalan Choral Societies), 1917. The Spanish Civil War put a temporary brake on this huge undertaking, but there was a recovery during the first decades of Francos regime, when it became not just a musical activity, but also an excuse to give a cultural cohesion to the country through the creation of federative bodies, encouraging gatherings and activities. As well as Clavé, there were other people of note, such as Lluís Millet, Joan Balcells, Antoni Pérez Moya, Enric Ribó, Oriol Martorell, Manuel Cabero, Pep Prats, Jordi Casas, Pep Vila or Pere Artís in the field of the study and spreading of the movement.