Narcís

Narcís Casanovas Beltrán

Casanoves

Sabadell , 1747
Montserrat , 1 April 1799

Composer and Performer

Composer and organist

He studied at the Escolania de Montserrat, with Benet Juli, Josep Martí (composition) and Benet Valls (organ). In 1763 he joined the monastery as a monk and was appointed later organist, an activity in which he showed his abilities as an improviser and his deep knowledge of the gallant style. Among others, he had Josep Vinyals as his student. Sixty-five pieces for keyboard have survived, mostly monothematic sonatas in two parts, in addition to sixty-three liturgical pieces in Latin, with and without accompaniment (especially responsories of Easter and Christmas, psalms, magnificats, masses and salves), composed from 1784. His compositions show great knowledge of the Montserratian tradition and, at the same time, of the Italian musical style.