Josep Anselm

Josep Anselm Clavé Camps

Barcelona , 21 d'abril de 1824
Barcelona , 24 de febrer de 1874

Composer

Composer and conductor

From a wealthy family of craftsmen in decline, he took advantage of his musical knowledge to work as a guitarist in fashionable cafes. There, he got in contact with working people and republicans. After being imprisoned for the revolts of 1843, he realized the power of singing in a community, and in 1845 he founded the La Aurora. In 1850, he founded the society La Fraternidad, a pioneer of the non-religious male voice choir in Catalonia, following the model of the French orphanages. The aim of the choir was to promote values such as mutual support, education, republicanism and pride at work. In 1854 he composed the first song in Catalan "La font del roure". In 1857 he founded the Societat Coral Euterpe which started a movement with thousands of associates. In 1871, when he was already a prominent republican, he was appointed president of the Diputació de Barcelona. Clavé has been considered a prominent figure for creating a new popular culture using songs of romantic-operatic inspiration (both in Catalan and Spanish) to achieve great social impact.