Juli

A composer popularly identified as a leading figure of Sardana music, especially for Juny (1920), which has become a hymn. From an early age, he also devoted himself to the composition of chamber and orchestral music. With his symphonic sardanas, he contributed to the consideration of the Catalan dance as a concert piece. He also used the great classical forms in a very personal way, in the context of Noucentisme. He is usually characterized as a village watchmaker that was self-taught and spontaneous in music composition. However, he was taught by his father, the pianist Ramon Novi and other musicians he met in dances, theater representations and soirees in recreational societies. He took part in composition competitions and premiered some works in Barcelona. The turning point of his career should be found in his acquaintance with Pau Casals, who from 1920 onwards, regularly commissioned him to compose symphonic music for the orchestra Casals had founded in Barcelona.