Sardana

Sardana and Catalan nationalism

The dance became a national symbol because it is identified with the core Catalan values including harmony, brotherhood, and democracy. People of all classes, ages, genres and origins are encouraged to dance sardana together. It is hard to believe this dance had emerged without expressing qualities appreciated by Catalans. The sardana is considered by Catalans one of the most prominent elements of their culture and deserving to be defended against threats from outsiders. This view was greatly increased with the suppression of La Santa Espina in 1924 and the prohibition of sardana in 1940s Francoist Spain and its use as a protest mechanism. Fear of culture loss is notable among Catalans because they define themselves in cultural terms, so suppressing their culture is considered equivalent to annihilation as a people. This vexes and baffles Castilians and other Spaniards whose custom believes that birthplace and descent primarily define national identity. The tradition of Catalan people is that biology and culture are separable. Catalan ethnic identity can be acquired by learning, they do not consider it a biological or race matter. However, this concept of culture by acquisition represents also a fear of being consumed by the dominant Castilian culture. In the case of sardana, the rigidity of the dance rules and group exclusivity by those who follow the detailed rules is a handicap for inclusion. In sardana the dancers who do not follow the rules are excluded to their own circle until they master the technicalities.

Andalusian immigration in the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries introduced the Andalusian feria de abril and flamenco dancing. The internal migration was perceived by some as a manipulation by the Spanish state, to be used as an instrument of cultural domination. Ensuring that sardana prevailed was somehow seen as vital to Catalan survival. In fact, learning sardana can be considered a way of expressing solidarity with Catalans. A quote from Montserrat Roig's novel Molta roba i poc sabó ... i tan neta que la volen reads:

I know people in the government who are very well-intentioned and are able to participate in our way of life ... They're people of good faith who have danced Maragall [a great Catalan poet], who understand our language, and who send their children to spend the summer at the beaches of Girona.

— Montserrat Roig, Molta roba i poc sabó (1970)

The protagonist of the novel says this to defend Castilians who support Catalan culture. The sardana forms part of Catalan culture and as such has to be protected from possible incursions by the dominant Castilian culture. Failing to adopt Catalan culture might cause it to disappear, effectively annihilating Catalan people.

Another threat concerns the ethnic origins of the creator of the modern sardana (sardana llarga), Josep Maria Ventura i Casas. He was born in 1817 in Andalusia, but when he was 2 years old he moved to Catalonia along with his father. Castilian custom would define Pep Ventura as Andalusian due to his birthplace. Pep's Catalan identity rejection is reflected in Castilian press such as the digital "El Español". Catalan historians and ethnomusicologists refer to his blood lineage (his father was born in Empordà), the first language he spoke and the composition of his soul to state that his birthplace does not change anything of what they consider a Catalan person. The soul is a way to express the imprinting made through learning and exposure to the world around a person. It is therefore a union of nature and nurture, providing the rhetorical basis for classifying Pep Ventura as Catalan, with a combination of Castilian and Catalan criteria (ascribed and achieved characteristics). Objectively speaking sardana llarga is not inherently Andalusian nor Catalan. Neither is Pep Ventura. Ethnicity is an invention, so is sardana llarga composed by Pep Ventura. The attributes and values in which Catalan people are invested make the sardana (any type) and Pep Ventura of Catalan nature. They express Catalan qualities. As a result, both sardana llarga and Pep Ventura have become symbols of national resistance against the power of Castile. That's why scholars insist on Ventura's Catalan origins while Castilian people insist in his birthplace.

Nowadays sardana is considered too rigid and conservative. Only a few younger dancers care about learning sardana and dance. Still, the Catalan government continues to invest in dance schools and training. Its socio-political relevance has decreased but holds its symbolic value.

Sardana band

Music for the sardana is played by a cobla, a band consisting of 10 wind instruments, double bass and a tamborí (little drum) played by 11 musicians. The cobla has five woodwind instruments: the flabiol which is a small fipple flute, and the tenora and tible (two of each) which belong to the oboe family. These and the tamborí are typical Catalan instruments. The brass instruments are: two trumpets, two fiscorns, and a trombone (usually a valve trombone). The double bass was traditionally a three-stringed one, but now the part is usually written for and played on the modern four-stringed instrument.

In Catalonia, about one hundred and thirty cobles are active, most of which are amateur bands. Outside Catalonia, there is at least one more cobla: Cobla La Principal d'Amsterdam.

Sardana dance

The music written for the dance is a sardana (plural: sardanes), and is usually in two sections (tirades), called curts and llargs, each of which may be repeated in various ways to form the pattern for the complete dance. There is usually an experienced dancer leading the circle. The dancers hold hands throughout the dance: arms down during the curts and raised to shoulder height during the llargs.

• The introit is a few introductory notes played freely by the flabiolist, typically ending with an upward scale and a tap of the tamborí, signalling the other players and dancers to begin the curts.
• The first tirada played by the band, called the tirada de curts ("short steps"), is of length between 20 and 50 measures and has a two-measure pattern. The tempo is typically about =112 to 120, in ²
  ₄ and/or ⁶
  ₈ rhythm. It is danced with the arms down: (point-step-step-cross) to the right followed by (point-step-step-cross) to the left. The curts is usually repeated the first time it is played.
• The tirada de llargs ("long steps") is of 50 to 100 measures and has a four-measure pattern. It is danced with the arms up to shoulder level, and is more lively than the curts. However the tempo is typically slower than the curts, about =100 to 108, with long lyrical tunes accompanied by variants of a dactyl rhythm. The llargs is usually repeated the first time it is played.
• The contrapunt is played by the flabiolist, and is a two-measure break signalling the last repeat of the llargs.
• The cop final ("final beat") concludes the dance with a unified movement from all the dancers, still holding hands.
• A modern sardana dance has the following typical pattern, which shows all the repeats of the curts and llargs:

1. introit
2. 1st tirada: curts
3. 2nd tirada: curts
4. 3rd tirada: llargs
5. 4th tirada: llargs
6. 5th tirada: curts
7. 6th tirada: llargs
8. contrapunt
9. 7th tirada: llargs
10. cop final

The number of measures in the curts and llargs, called the tiratge or "run", is important to the players, and may be indicated before the start of the dance (e.g. a "run" shown as 25x79 indicates 25 measures of curts and 79 measures of llargs) in order to terminate the tirada correctly with the correct foot, though a method commonly used is to count the measures in the first tirada and not dance until the second has begun.

A dancer is called a sardanista (plural: sardanistes).

As a relatively slow, non-performance dance, the sardana does not require special fitness. The dance circle can be opened to a highly variable number of dancers. When danced in the streets and town squares, small circles of dancers can be seen to form and grow: these are open circles called rotllanes obertes, and passers-by can join, leaving their bags in the center of the circle. When a dance circle is too big it may split into smaller circles. The dancers are alternate men and women – with the man's partner on his right – and care must be taken by those joining not to split partners. Another kind of circle may be formed by members of organised sardana clubs called colles, and each colla may wear its own costume.

In order to dance sardanes comfortably the footwear must be flexible enough to allow the dancer to jump slightly when the llargs come. Traditionally sardanistes wear special dancing shoes called espardenyes made of esparto grass fabric and with two long fabric strips to tie them up around the ankle. Nowadays most people have replaced these with regular trainers.

Many sardanes have sung versions, but mostly instrumental versions are used for dancing. Recordings of sardanes or sardanes played in concert usually contain the introit, two curts and two llargs. Sardanes may be recorded for dancing, having all the entrades in order. Often sardanes are written for special occasions or to commemorate people.

Composers of sardanes

• Josep Maria "Pep" Ventura (1819–1875)
• Enric Morera i Viura (1865–1942), composer of the most popular sardana La Santa Espina
• Joan Lamote de Grignon i Bocquet (1872–1949)
• Josep Serra i Bonal (1874–1939)
• Juli Garreta i Arboix (1875–1925)
• Vicenç Bou i Geli (1885–1962)
• Eduard Toldrà i Soler (1895–1962)
• Roberto Gerhard (1896–1970)
• Ricard Lamote de Grignon i Ribas (1899–1962), son of Joan Lamote de Grignon
• Francesc Mas i Ros (1901–1985)
• Joaquim Serra i Corominas (1907–1957), son of Josep Serra i Bonal
• Pere Buxó i Domènech, (born Amer, Girona, 13 November 1916 – died Girona, 30 December 1998)
• Josep Maria Mestre Miret (1918–2002), winner of two sardana awards
• Pepita Llunell i Sanahuja (1926-2015), singer and actress, winner of the Creu de Sant Jordi
• Joan Gibert Canyadell (Joan Gibert i Canyadell; born 1941)
• Joan Lluís Moraleda i Perxachs (born 1943)