Felip Pedrell i Sabate (1841-1922)

by | Feb 29, 2024 | Music

Works:

Chamber compositions:
-Noches de España (Nights of Spain)
-Nocturn-trio – 1873
-Orientales (Orientals)
-Quartet – 1879
-Gaillard – 1879

Chorals:
-Super Flumina Babilonis

Lyrics:
-La guardiola
(The money box) – 1873

Masses / religious pieces:
-Al.leluia – 1865
-Mass for two voices and organ – 1857
-Three Masses for three voices and organ – 1861 – 1865 – 1866

Operas:
-L’ultimo abenzeraggio
(The last Abencerraje) – 1874
-Quasimodo – 1875
-Cleopatra – 1878
-Eda – 1887
-Mara – 1889
-Els Pirineus (The Pyrenees) – 1893
-La Celestina (The procuress) – 1902
-El Comte Arnau (The count Arnau) – 1904
-La matinada (Early morning) – 1906

Religious canticles:
-Estrofas de Santa Teresa de Jesús (Verses of S.Therese of Jesus)
-Les cinq roses (The fifth roses)
-L’herba de l’amor (The grass of love)
-Lo sant nom de Jesús (The saint name of Jesus)
-Sant Joseph (Saint Joseph)
-Sospirs (Sighs)
-Tantum ergo

Songs:
-Cada vegada que et veig (Every time i see you)
-Canciones Arabescas (Arabesc songs)
-Cantos Andaluces (Andalusian songs)
-Intimas (Intimates)
-Jesús als pecadors (Jesus to the sinfuls)
-La Sagrada Familia (The sacred family)
-La primavera que a estimar convida (The spring invites to love)

Symphonic poems:
-La veu de les muntanyes (The voice of mountains) – 1877
-I trionfi (The triumphs) – 1880
-Excelsior – 1880

Life:

Born in Tortosa the 18 February of 1841.
His firsts contacts with the music were as a singer of the choir of the cathedral of Tortosa. At the age of 15 years he composed a three voices “Stabat Mater”.

In 1863 Pedrell went to Barcelona to follow musical studies, but later and pensioned by the Diputacions (Regional administrations) of Tarragona and Girona he went in 1876 to Rome and in 1877 to Paris to develop his capacities. Later in 1894 he moved to Madrid where in 1915 he was appointed as professor of Conservatory.

Because his trips to Italy and France, Pedrell was the first Catalan modernist musician to contact with foreign music, and that contact was essential to define his future musical tendencies as composer of cultivate and popular music. He was one of the firsts introducers of Wagner music in Catalonia and Spain.
As a leader of Catalan music renewal, he was the master of Enric Granados, Manuel de Falla, Robert Gerhard, Isaac Albéniz and other Catalan and Spanish musicians.

Pedrell also founded musicology schools in Catalonia and in Spain.

He was a very active composer, developing all the musical stiles, an in addition of his operas, he was also the composer of a big quantity of lyric works, symphonic poems and religious and chamber music.

Pedrell also wrote musical treaties and published musical collections as:
-“Diccionario técnico de la música” (Music technical dictionary) in 1894.
-“Diccionario biográfico y bibliográfico de músicos españoles” (Biographical and bibliographical dictionary of Spanish musicians) in 1897.
-“Emporio científico e histórico de organografía musical española antigua” (Scientific and historic treaty on the old Spanish organ music) in 1901.
-“Catalogo de la Biblioteca de la Diputación de Barcelona” (Catalogue of the library of de provincial government of Barcelona) in 1908.
-“La festa d’Elx o el drama liturgic espanyol” (The Elx fest or the liturgical Spanish drama) in 1901.
-“Musics vells de la terra” (Old country musicians), on Catalan musicians of XVI and XVIIth. centuries, published between 1904 and 1910.
-“Salterio sacro-hispano” (Sacred Hispanic Psalter), published between 1892 and 1905.
-“Hispaniae Schola Musica Sacra” in 1896.
-“El teatro lírico español anterior al siglo XIX” (The Spanish Lyric theatre before the XIXth. century) in 1898.
-“El organista litúrgico español” (The Spanish liturgical organist) in 1905.
-“Cancionero musical popular español” (Collection of Spanish popular songs) in 1922.
-“Obras completas de Tomás Luis de Victoria” (Complete works of Tomás Luis de Victoria) published between 1902 and 1912.
-“Els madrigals i la missa de requiem de Joan Brudieu” (The madrigals and requiem mass of Joan Brudieu) wrote in collaboration of Higini Anglès and published in 1927.

Finally, Felip Pedrell wrote also various articles as “Jornadas de arte” (Art conferences) between 1841and 1891, “Musicalerias” (Musicalities) in 1906 and “Jornadas postreras” (Last conferences) in 1922.
Felip Pedrell died in Barcelona the 19 August of the year 1922.


Specific Bibliography

on Felip Pedrell i Sabaté

Title of the book Author Published by Year

La música i el Modernisme

Aviñoa, Xosé

Biblioteca de cultura catalana, 58. Curial

1985
Modernisme i Modernistes – Musica i Modernisme: Definició i Període – Aviñoa, Xosé Lunwerg editores 2001
Gran enciclopèdia catalana Different authors Enciclopèdia Catalana  
Síntesi històrica de la música catalana Martorell Oriol Els Llibres de la Frontera 1985

Other Art Nouveau Catalan Musicians:

Isaac ALBÉNIZ i PascualEnric GRANADOS i CampiñaJoan LAMOTE DE GRIGNON i Bocquet–Antoni Laporta i Astort–APEL·LES MESTRES i Oñós–Lluís MILLET i PagèsEnric MORERA i Viura–Antoni NICOLAU i Parera–Jaume Pahissa i Jo–Felip Pedrell i Sabaté–Josep Ribas i Gabriel–Amadeu Vives i Roig