Josep

Josep Vicens Juli

Avi Xaxu

L'Escala , 4 January 1870
L'Escala , 8 April 1956

Composer and Performer

Composer, instrumentalist and cobla conductor

He studied with Rossend Mercader and Antoni Agramont, although he was mostly self-taught. At the age of fifteen, he composed his first sardana, La filosa, although he is better known for Aires de muntanya and El cant del pastoret. As an instrumentalist, he was a versatile performer of flabiol, fiscorn, tenora and double bass.

In his hometown he conducted the cobla L’Aliança. He founded the cobla De Baix and in 1906, the cobla La Principal. In 1921 he settled in Malgrat and from there he moved to Girona. When the Civil War broke out, he moved to France and only returned to L’Escala at the beginning of the post-war period. In addition to promoting the creation of cobles wherever he resided, he participated in choral societies such as La Marinera and La Unión Escalense.

He was a very prolific composer with an estimated production of over 500 sardanes, a half of which have been preserved. He also composed religious music, music for choir, ballables, the orchestral composition Remors de fulles and the sainete Muset i Bernardeta.