Recovery of the Moixiganga

Meeting of the musician of the Moixiganga

The recovery of the moixiganga carried out after finding an original score of the dance to the Musical File of the Parish of Saint Maria of the Geltrú. The score, of more than 150 years of antiquity, was found by na Francesca Red and Galceran, while it reviewed the files.

As Francesca, the historical document goes to be able to preserve thanks to any chaplain of the parish of the Geltrú that surely hid the score in order that it was not destroyed. The melody of the moixiganga finds  in a called Licence of Organ. Between these licences in shape of quadernet of organist, Francesca found  one, called Coderno of contradanzas, minuetes and balsas to the File of Saint Maria.

These Licences were compilacions that allowed  interpret to the organists of the vila the days of party distinguished month. They called  licences precisely because they did not group pieces of brink only religious, were an ore of permission to touch pagan or popular musician in the church. At any rate the type of pieces that interpreted  could not give place to important disputes between the collective more conservative.

For example and concretising in our case, in addition to the moixiganga, this Freedom of Organ, of some forty pages, contains mainly the pieces that give him name to the compilació (contradanses, minuets and valsos), also includes some boleros, pasapiés, a alemanda, a march and a sonata pastoril. All these pieces are ballables and a lot to the fashion of the period in which dates  the fascicle . But in addition to these pieces to the Licence find  three pages more where includes  the musician that at present know as a popular or traditional. These melodies correspond to nadales, dances of Corpus or Greater Party (Moixiganga or dance of Pastorets) and other melodies how for example rigodons (as a the Photo attaches can see  in the fifth, sixth and seventh pentagrama) or galliards.

Between these pieces, also found  the score of the moixiganga of Vilanova . This fascicle seems to have been transcribed by the friar Andreu Ripoll than as it seems was very related with the parish of the Geltrú. The Fra Andreu belonged wing community of Carmelites Descalsos that I established  to Vilanova since 1735 until the 1835, year in that it was enclaustrada. During that period go can build the convent and the Church of the Josepets which now knows  how the Hospital of Saint Antoni Pull down.

What does not know  well be is how reached the File the score of the religious. We can bill two hypotheses: a mix the possibility of that the carmelita was contributor of the Parish of the Geltrú thing that would clear the because the fascicle finds  to the file of said parish. But also it rotted to be that after saving the documents as a result of the enclaustració of the community in the 1835, the papers of the ecclesiastical had happened of the convent Carmelita to the File of the Geltrú. Both parishes counted with an organ to the 19th century, thus they can be possible both hypotheses, but these and all the organs of the Vila would be destroyed to the 1936 because of the Civil War.

The troballa became to the first half of the decade of the 80 and to the 1985 published  a quadernet with all the pieces that appeared to the back part of the licence of that organist, which correspond how have said to pieces of type folklòric or popular.

Put into motion of the recovery

In doing  the publication in 1985 of the melody of the moixiganga, this began to be interpreted by the Instrumental Group of the Geltrú, thing that facilitated his coneixença. Roughly in the year 1987 a part of the parish of the Geltrú encouraged  and tried to recover the dance. Jordi Burcet was one of the main promoters, but did not achieve to bring to good term the company since there were not enough people that wanted  take part neither those that did it put too many interest.

Recover a stray tradition is not not a simple task. In the first place it needs  a base and some pautes to follow in order to not to invent the tradition. In the second place it was necessary the collaboration of a collective that engaged  to keep it of nine.

We rotted to say that for a part the difficulty of the task recuperadora and for another the lack of help did that the attempt was fallit and of new remained us to Vilanova without moixiganga.

Any the 1992 went back  to try organise a new moixiganga vilanovina. Also Jordi Burcet took part  a lot actively in the new attempt. This blow, but, the task reached good port and the day of Bouquets of the year 1992 the moixiganga went back to go out desprès of more than a century of disappearance.

Composition of the choreographic script

The composition of the choreographic script did  from the moixigangues neighbouring of the field of Tarragona (especially Valleys). Like this it adopted  the step of cardboard. It thinks that it realises  during the step of cardboard, took  of the choreographic script sitgetà. Also it purchased  the step of coixinet that proceeds of the dance of gipsy of Vilanova.

The other part of the choreographic script that would correspond to the building of the mysteries was restored from the ancient steps or mysteries of the procession of Saint Week than to Vilanova took place. The building of this ore of steps took place later to the Concili of Trento in that also forbade  the theatrical representations although they were of religious brink in order to prevent  the own Church against heretgies and especially to avoid that the village began to organise  for his sake same and ceased to be easily manipulable. With this prohibition substituted  the representations with movement and people for static representations with figures. The statues that represent Saint, Mothers of God, etc… They were not forbidden and became the only representations allowed. Of these ecclesiastical norms proceeds the tradition to do processions with steps that represent biblical events and as a many populations of all over of the world cristiá, Vilanova also possessed  a group.

Unfortunately, no it preserves  any of the ancient steps, as only go to be able to achieve some photographies done by Antoni Gelavert of different steps. These photographies were exposed in the winter of 1951 but in the moment of the recovery of the moixiganga were not found because of a transfer of flat, as it seems… Yet, Gelavert had given copies and from these copies, mainly own of the Mr. Morera And his heir, did  the corresponding designs for the building of the mysteries. Of this task did   charge the Mr. Pau Red.

Institution of a group of dancers

How previously I have said, previously by the year 1992 did  an attempt of restoration of the moixiganga that did not go out well, mainly, because of the youth of the dancers. In view of the previous experience goes procurar- find dancers to activities of the parish that provided young participants but no babies. Mainly it was an option proposed to the youngsters that finished  to confirm. These youngsters had between 15 and 17 years, age in that already begins  to mature (relatively…) Or at least, already it begins  to distinguish between commitments and trivial activities. Besides, mostly, these youngsters lost the contact with the once confirmed parish and with his incorporation to the moixiganga offered them an activity that allowed them keep in contact with the parish and this also could mean keep the contact with fellow.

Also they grouped  with youngsters already confirmed years back, youngsters of the Instrumental Group and all that who extended interested. Also it found  a group of adults of some 30 that showed enthusiasm in the subject.

The ancient moixiganga was situated in a male chauvinistic world, of which perhaps still have not freed us in its entirety, so that it was not allowed the participation of the woman in the dance. Of any way neither there had been any woman that had dared to try it already who not even owed it pose. But what now interests us is that this did not follow this tonic in the moment of the recovery since since the first moment allowed  to the woman form part of the dance of moixiganga, without any ore of distrust. Given this freedom, were the women the main attracted by this new moixiganga and the first in loaning . Fundamentally, they were the collective young those that possessed more feminine participation whereas the adults of the group were mostly men.

It is necessary to add that, as Xavier Orriols, ours was one of the viles pioneering in breaking the masculine monopoly in what respects to this subject. This has to be a reason of pride for those who last to term the recovery since they stepped (small but always important) to the equality between the sexes.