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 lassical
and popular song, the musical creations in North Catalonia offer
a varied panorama that began with François de Fossa,
a composer born in Perpignan in 1775. Revealing the possibilities
of the guitar he elevated the instrument to the orchestra level,
including it in his divertimentos and opera overtures. De Fossa’s
music was the precursor to the music now recognised as North
Catalan and he was succeeded by the piano composer Déodat
de Séverac, born in 1872 in the Languedoc region but
soon installed in North Catalonia. He stimulated artistic circles
through his works abundant with vitality and inspired by the
land. Max Havart, born in 1924, has given his imagination, despite
coming from a Classical and Jazz background, to a repertoire
of Sardane and other dancing music.
In
song Jordi Barre, born in 1920, was a figure of eternal interpretation.
After a solid Classical education and innumerable variety spectaculars
in Perpignan in the 1930s and 1940s, his orchestra enlivened
the parties of the region until the beginning of the 1960s.
In the 1960s Barcelona opened their arms to him and he recorded
his first album, in Catalan. Surpassing the periods by adapting
himself to coloured sounds, Jordi Barre is a celebrity in Catalonia.
His romantic pop songs have become a way of integration for
the new populations. The development of the North Catalan song
in the 1970s has propelled many personalities onto the scene:
Pere Figueres; close to the natural elements, Joan Pau Giné;
whose humour and realism have attracted a large following, and
Albert Bueno; whose happiness and festive rhythms are appreciated.
Blues de Picolat, specialise in a timeless style and receive
a good deal of popularity. The musical panorama is completed
by two innovative minds. Born in 1955, Pascal Cornelade is a
Classical musician who plays on plastic toy instruments with
melodies both childlike and melancholy. He is generally adored
by the public. Gerard Jacquet, who makes an alliance between
traditional tales, music of the Mediterranean and introspection,
holds a strong place within the Catalan ensemble.
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