A sea of music (1492-1880)

A sea of music pays tribute to the more than 25 million victims who, for almost four centuries, from 1492 to 1888 (the year in which slavery was abolished in Brazil), were deported and enslaved by European nations. Those men, women and children who were brutally torn from their villages on the African continent and in Madagascar and shipped by force to the European colonies, took with them nothing but their culture of origin: their religious beliefs, their traditional medicine, their culinary customs and the songs and dances which were preserved in their new destinations, known as habitations or plantations. This state of affairs continued until the middle of the 19th century, when, after relentless wars and confrontations, Abolitionist movements succeeded in decreeing an end to slavery in the European colonies.

In this concert, the “living music” that is heir to the ancient traditions of the descendants of those slaves, which were deeply engraved in the memory of the peoples affected – from the coasts of West Africa, to Africa, America and the islands of the Caribbean – will engage in a dialogue with Hispanic and European musical forms inspired in the songs and dances of slaves, indigenous peoples and all kinds of racially mixed peoples. The African and American heritages thus come together with imported elements taken from the European Renaissance and Baroque, with pieces by Gaspar Fernandes, Diego Durón, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, Felip Olivelles, Santiago de Murcia and other anonymous composers.

Our objective in this program is to keep the memory of that human tragedy alive through music and texts, and to pay tribute to the victims of the terrible trade in millions of African men, women and children who for centuries were systematically deported. Thanks to La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Hespèrion XXI, the Mexican group Tembembe Ensamble Continuo and guest musicians from Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, Mali and Venezuela, we shall listen to the rhythms and songs which remind us of a story forged in suffering, when music became a means of survival and fortunately for us all, and their only haven of peace, consolation and hope.