Dolça infantesa (Sweet childhood), for symphonic band

Dolça infantesa was commissioned by the Band of the “Verge dels Prats de l’Aldea” musical association (Baix Ebre, Tarragona), particularly by its director Àlex Rodriguez Belvís.

He proposed the idea of ​​composing music on popular Catalan children’s themes. I found the project very intriguing due to the challenge of writing an original work for a medium-size Symphonic Band with a moderate level of difficulty. The piece was intended to be about 8 minutes long. Most of the works I have composed for Symphonic Band are of high difficulty, and I was particularly excited to write a short and not difficult piece for the band. So, once all the prerequisites are known, I have written a very tonal work of one run in about three weeks

I conducted some research on Catalan children’s songs and, from the many I encountered I selected seven to feature in the following order: “Cançó dels colors (Song of colors)”, “Sol solet (Sun, little sun)”, “Cargol treu banya (Snail pulls horn)”, “Paf era un drac màgic (Paf, the magic dragon)”, “Els tres tambors (The three drums)”, “Les nenes maques (Pretty girls)” and “En Joan petit quan balla (Little John when he dances)”.

The songs are presented and then developed with variations in instrumentation and tonality to provide timbral and sonic variety. Between songs, I included several original musical bridges I aimed to find the most appropriate tonalities for the Band and ensured that the tempi and technical difficulty were well within the band’s capabilities.

The composition follows an A-B-A form, with part B serving as a brief interlude in the middle of the piece. Part A is the longest, incorporating the first six songs. The piece begins at an “Andante” tempo but gradually accelerates to “Moderato” and then to “Allegro”. The short central section (B) set at a “ben Lent” (Largo) tempo, features muted brass harmonies while the oboe and piccolo subtly recall earlier melodies.

In the return of part A, the character and instrumentation evolve, introducing the song “En Joan petit”. The composition reaches its climax with a fusion of “Els Tres Tambors” and “Les Nenes Maques,” weaving these themes into a brilliant finale.

Salvador Brotons