Suite miniatures de Nadal (Christmas Miniatures Suite), for cello quartet

The work of musicologists and folklorists, such as the numerous musicians who participated in the Obra del Cançoner Popular de Catalunya (OCPC), enabled thousands upon thousands of traditional Catalan songs and melodies to be preserved, though they are not always readily accessible. They form a vast treasure trove with the potential to serve as a magnificent source of inspiration for contemporary creators. The suite Christmas Miniatures for cello quartet is a direct result of this work: the five melodies are traditional Christmas carols compiled by Josep Crivillé i Bargalló (1947–2012) in his volume Música tradicional catalana II, Nadal (Clivis, 1981). The suite serves both to disseminate these traditional melodies and to reclaim them as a musical heritage.

The word miniatures in the title refers not so much to the brevity of the pieces—though that too—as to the composer’s intention to evoke the meticulous, richly coloured illustrations that decorated medieval manuscripts. For this reason, I have sought to find the “colours” in each carol that correspond to the melody.

Marc Renau i Meier