Rock català (, "Catalan Rock") is a type of music popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s involving Catalan lyrics and many different musical styles.
The last years of
Spain under Franco were shattered by a generation of singers that claimed and called for democracy. In this context, ''La
Nova Cançó'' is the
protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
Among social mov ...
musical and political movement of artists singing in Catalan, like
Lluís Llach,
Raimon or
Ovidi Montllor
Ovidi Montllor (; 4 February 1942 in Alcoi, Spain – 10 March 1995 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and actor.
Career
A native of Alcoi, at the age of 24 Montllor moved to Barcelona, where he was a member of various independ ...
. In the late 1960s and during the 1970s, the ''Nova Cançó'' movement introduced lyrics in Catalan in contemporary music in order to reach wider audiences (until then, this language was only used in
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
songs); then, by the 1980s and the
return to democracy in Spain, their popularity was waning.
Then, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ''
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label= Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed ...
'', in the absence of a wide enough demand, offered
grants
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
* Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
*Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
*Grant, Inyo County, ...
for rock bands singing in Catalan. This made possible the formation of several bands singing in Catalan and, with them, the introduction of the then innovative concept of a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
music scene in Catalan.
The musical styles are diverse within the movement, being sole relation between these bands the use of the
Catalan language
Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern ...
in their lyrics.
Some representative bands of this movement include:
*
Els Pets
''Els Pets'' is a Catalan pop rock band with lead singer, composer and guitarist Lluís Gavaldà from the village of Constantí ( province of Tarragona, Catalonia). Joan Reig plays drums and Falin Cáceres bass. At present, the band has th ...
*
Sau
*
Obrint Pas
Obrint Pas (, "Breaking Through") was a Spanish band from Valencia, Valencian Community. Their music is a mixture of rock, ska and reggae with dolçaina rhythms, a traditional Valencian instrument, often with social and political lyrics promot ...
*
Sopa de Cabra
*
Lax'n'Busto
*
Sangtraït
External links
RockCatala.com
Catalan music
Rock music by country
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