The Josep Pi music fonds entered the Historical Archive of Torroella, housed in the Museum of Montgrí and the Baix Ter, in 1986 thanks to a donation by his son, the physician Jaume Pi i Figueras. Josep Pi i Pasqual (1873-1944), a native of Pals, was musically trained by his father, Jaume Pi i Gallart (piccolo and tenor) and Joan Carreras i Dagas and at the Conservatory of the Barcelona Liceu Opera House.

The TomP fonds has a total of 476 compositions, 467 of which are by Josep Pi, while the remaining nine are arrangements of works by Alonso, Mercadante and Torroba, among others. The fonds encompasses compositions for ballroom dances: 44 waltzes, 28 mazurkas, 25 pericón folk dances, 8 rigaudons, 23 waltz-jotas, 30 chotis, 13 foxtrots, 9 one-steps, 8 tangos, 8 fantasias, 3 javas, 3 americanas, 2 two-steps, 2 lanceros, 2 symphonies, 1 pilée and 42 sundry dances; it also contains 31 sardanas for cobla and 55 for piano, 23 popular vocal pieces – 13 caramelles (Paschal joys), 8 variety songs and 2 estudiantinas – and one song for voice and piano.

This fonds clearly reveals the influence of music from the West Indies in the late 19th century thanks to the presence of numerous foxtrots, lanceros, pericón folk dances, javas, tangos, one-steps, two-steps and the dance actually called the americana. The repertoire of the Pi Fonds also reveals the influence of the zarzuela, with the Francisco Alonso work Java del Mareo from the zarzuela Las Lloronas, the Tango del Soldadito inspired by the zarzuela Luisa Fernanda by Federico Torroba, and the waltz also composed by Torroba entitled Vals de la Opereta Blanca Luna. In fact, the vast majority are conserved in Spanish and can often evoke both the tradition of the West Indies and the Castilian tradition of the genero chico.

El repertori compositiu del Fons Pi comprèn també música de concert per a un model d’orquestra popular característica del primer terç del XX. Tal i com relata J. Sardà-Vila, el compositor Albert Cotó va crear a l’últim quart del segle XIX l’orquestra anomenada de Festa Major integrada per 11 músics: 1 Flauta, 2 Clarinets, 2 Trompetes o Cornetins, 1 Fiscorn, 2 Violins primers, 1 Violí segon, 1 Viola i 1 Contrabaix. Aquesta paleta instrumental és molt similar a la que Pi ofereix en les seves sis fantasies per a fiscorn i orquestra, i a les dues per a flautí i clarinet.¹

¹GRASSOT I RADRESA, Marta. Inventaris dels fons musicals de Catalunya. Volum 3: Fons del Museu de la Mediterrània de Torroella de Montgrí. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura i Mitjans de Comunicació, 2009.- Arxius i documents. Eines de recerca, núm. 6.

Fonds Factsheet

Acronym: TomP

IFMuC Link: https://ifmuc.uab.cat/collection/TomP?ln=en

Title: Josep Pi i Pasqual Fonds

Archive and location:
Museu de la Mediterrània
The fonds is preserved at the museum's Centre de Documentació

Carrer d’Ullà, 27-31
17257 Torroella de Montgrí

Contact:
Tel: 972 755 180
Email: cdd.canquintana@torroella-estartit.cat

Date(s): 19th to 20th centuries

Extent and medium: 12 box files

Creators:
Josep Pi i Pasqual

Download the complete fonds factsheet HERE

Introducing IFMuC Volume III (TomB, TomP i TomR). Torroella de Montgrí, may 29th, 2009. At the table: Josep Maria Gregori, IFMuC project director, Marta Grassot, author of the book, and Antoni Roviras, director of the Museu de la Mediterrània