Blancafort: Complete Songs, Vol. 1

Featuring

Anna Alàs i Jové
Miquel Villalba
Manuel Blancafort

Did you know?

1/7

Composer Biography

Frederic Mompou, a fellow Catalan composer, played a significant role in guiding the young Blancafort musically, aesthetically, and spiritually.

Composer Biography

Manuel Blancafort's father owned a factory producing pianola rolls, which served as Blancafort's early music school.

Cultural Impact

Blancafort's songs, written during a time when the Catalan language was banned, embody the dreams of a country aspiring to be free and cultured.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Blancafort's music aimed for clarity, simplicity, and a 'tonal, logical and concise' form, rejecting German transcendentalism and drawing inspiration from French music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Blancafort declared, "Fleeing from Wagner is the first commandment to be imposed on the new Catalan music," emphasizing a European idiom for Catalan themes.

Historical Context

The Noucentisme movement (1914-1939) in Catalonia, which Blancafort embraced, rejected Romanticism and Wagnerian pathos, advocating for a return to Classicism and beauty.

Composer Biography

Blancafort was largely self-taught, learning about various musical styles from classical to modern composers like Debussy, Ravel, and Schoenberg by examining scores for his father's pianola roll factory.