About
Jose Anselmo Clave and Camps, better known as Anselmo Clave (Cat. Josep Anselm Clavé i Camps; April 21, 1824, Barcelona - February 25, 1874), Barcelona) - poet, politician, composer, one of the creators of the Spanish music direction. Founder of the choral movement in Spain.
Anselmo Clave was born in the Barcelona quarter of La Ribera (Spanish). in the family of a woodcarver. He mastered turning business as a child, but left it to devote himself to self-education, the study of music and poetry. In his youth he performed works of his own composition in coffee shops in Barcelona to the accompaniment of a guitar.
Demonstrating leftist views, he maintained friendly relations with Narsis Monturiol and Abdon Terrades (Spanish) Russian, working with them to create the first communist daily newspaper in Catalonia. Between 1840 and 1843 he took an active part in the city rebellions held in Barcelona; Soon after the defeat of the residence of Baldomero Espartero by local merchants and artisans (December 1842) was arrested and imprisoned.
After his release, he returned to musical numbers in Barcelona coffee houses, continuing to study the musical tradition of his time and intending to prove that his music, inspiring listeners with its poetic integrity and sophistication, could be successful, despite the absence of major moods. Soon Clave becomes the leader of the ensemble "Morning Dawn" (La Aurora). The group was engaged in interpreting serenades and mainly performed in cafes. The problem for the ensemble was the definition of a repertoire suitable for a group of such diverse musicians. As a result, Clave suggested performing all possible works, while trying to preserve the polyphonic texture of the music. Thus the idea of creating the “Brotherhood” choir (La Fraternidad) was born, which became a completely new direction in music for Spain (February 2, 1850). The choir’s repertoire was compiled in accordance with the progressive and philanthropic ideology of Clave’s work, the goal of which was to bring music (and the whole culture) to the working class, deprived at that time of this privilege. He organizes a group of "brotherly dances" in Barcelona, in which a representative of any social stratum could participate.
The “Brotherhood” formed a new trend in Barcelona, which eventually spread to neighboring settlements, in which choral groups also began to appear. Choral singing has acquired the scope characteristic of various kinds of labor movements, it affirmed faith in a good life, in your work and your work. In 1853, Clave rents the Gardens of the Nymphs (los Jardines de la Ninfa), which are part of the Paseo de Gracia (Spanish) Russian, for staging performances with songs and dances, which caused dissatisfaction among the elite, as a result the event moved to Campos Elíseos ( also included in the Paseo de Gracia (Spanish) Russian.). The event was a huge success, however, after the crisis of 1855, Clave was deported to the Balearic Islands, he was able to renew the new tradition only after returning in 1857, in the same year the Brotherhood choir changed its name to Sociedad Coral Euterpe. The performances and dances of the Euterpe Gardens (los Jardines de Euterpe) were so popular that Clave decided to publish an event program called Echo Euterpe, which listed all the events related to the event along with literary review and news. In 1860 the Association of Euterpes was founded (Asociación Euterpense) - a general meeting of choirs.
Between 1860 and 1864 in Catalonia, the artistic direction of Clave flourished. Thousands of singers and hundreds of musicians gathered at general concerts. At this time, Clave transferred the instrumental fragments of the opera Tannhäuser to the choral music, performed by the choir to the accompaniment of the Liceu (Spanish) Russian orchestra, which became the first performance of Richard Wagner's music in Spain (July 16, 1862). The Evterpes Association published the newspaper El Metrónomo, disseminating through it the basic doctrines of the new choral Catalan tradition. In 1867, Clave was again arrested and exiled to Madrid, but this time the choral tradition was already quite distinctive, and the absence of the master did not affect any event. Since the Glorious Revolution of 1868, and then the September Revolution of 1931, the choir tradition of Clave has not ceased to be the main instrument of inspiring the masses.
Clave never stopped his political activity. He was a member of the committee of editors of La Renaixença and held several government posts. In 1868 he was a member of the Revolutionary Assembly, and a year later became vice president of the Tortosa Treaty (Spanish) Russian .. In 1871 he was elected as a deputy and received the title of President of the Deputation of Barcelona (Spanish) Russian .. In 1873, after the founding of the First Spanish Republic he became Governor of the province of Castellón and delegate to the Government of Tarragona. Nevertheless, on January 3, 1874, after the intervention of General Manuel Pavia, the first republic and all democratic hopes for democracy came to an end. Clave returned to Barcelona, where he died in February, a few weeks later. His motto has always been the words “Progress, Virtue and Love” (Cat. Progrés, virtut i amour)
Creation
Claudian poetry was formed under the influence of romanticism and especially the work of the French poet Pierre-Jean de Beranger. His work was mainly intended for socially active masses, and was formed in two directions:
- dance music, song with instrumental accompaniment: waltz, polka, chotis ...
- polyphonic concert music: hymns, barcarole, pastoral ...
Each direction has its own special musical style. Verdi's influence is felt in dance music, its inherent extrovert and triumphal character, while Claudia's concert music has a special intimate character, appeal to shepherd themes with their idyllic world and idealized nature, and often with mythological references. Klavet sought to return the ideal of pre-industrial society, the rural world where a person is free. Therefore, the choice of the master in conducting concerts fell on the stage in the largest park of the city.
Clave is a key figure for the musical, especially Catalan, tradition of the 19th century:
- He designed the Spanish choral tradition, bringing his country closer to European cultural tradition.
- He returned to the working class the opportunity for self-expression and, at the same time, a sense of group cohesion.
- He contributed to the creation of a collective movement, which became in the person of choral singing the basis for the unification of the Catalans.
- He created a new musical direction - choral music.
As the author of the operettas, Anselmo Clave was one of the first to stage Russian Liseu (Spanish) on the stage of the Bolshoi Opera. the operetta L´aplec del Remei in Catalan (December 30, 1859). A little later, he also staged The Art of Witchcraft (L’art de la bruixeria) based on the texts of Conrad Ruher and Vidal Valenciano.