Since the earliest days of the sardana, there have been magnificent choral examples that have become part of the traditional repertoire. Morera’s sardanas, in particular, featured in the earliest programmes of Catalan choral societies. He himself founded the Societat Coral Catalunya Nova in 1895 with the aim of reviving the spirit of Clavé through simple works that would awaken Catalan vitality, in contrast to the melancholy of L’Emigrant or the polyphony cultivated by the young Orfeó Català. Choral conductors such as Antoni Pérez Moya of the Orfeó de Sants and Lluís Ma. Millet of the Orfeó Català have often contributed to the genre of the choral sardana. So too have composers for cobla with a knowledge of choral music, or vice versa, such as Manuel Saderra from La Garrotxa; Manuel Oltra, professor of counterpoint and harmony at the Barcelona Conservatory; Rafael Ferrer Fitó, violinist and conductor of the Barcelona Municipal Orchestra after Toldrà; and Josep Prenafeta from Lleida.

By the end of the twentieth century, however, the genre had fallen out of use, and there are few examples of contemporary choral sardanas. For this reason, the Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana aims to encourage the revival of the choral sardana by inviting young contemporary choral composers, the so-called Generació C, to explore the rhythm of our dance, the radiance of the tenora and the Mediterranean melodies that are so central to our identity. Each with their own style, we are convinced that the commissions we have given to six composers will bear fruit and help restore the choral sardana to our choirs, which are eager for joyful and energetic repertoire. Just as Enric Morera did more than a century ago, we aim to counter contemporary choral melancholy with a new expression of the Catalan spirit that has resurfaced at so many moments throughout our history. Rhythm and melody have always been at the heart of the Catalan folk repertoire, a tradition we do not want to lose. We are reviving the choral sardana in a new style for a new musical era. We want the dry leaves to turn green again!

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