The ''cobla'' (, plural ''cobles'') is a traditional music ensemble of
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, and in
Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia, North Catalonia or French Catalonia is the Catalan language, Catalan-speaking and cultural territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 in exchange for France's effective renu ...
in France. It is generally used to accompany the
sardana
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity through ...
, a traditional Catalan folk dance, danced in a circle.
Structure
The modern Cobla normally consists of 11 players with the following instruments:
*One
flabiol
The flabiol () is a Catalan woodwind musical instrument of the family known as '' fipple flutes''. It is one of the 12 instruments of the cobla. The flabiol measures about 25 centimeters in length and has five or six holes on its front face a ...
, a type of
fipple flute played with the left hand while a
''tamborí'', a small drum attached to the left arm of the player, is played with the other hand.
*Four
Catalan shawms – double-reed woodwinds
**Two tibles – a ''tible'' is like an oboe, but with a louder sound
**Two tenores – a ''tenora'' is a larger version of the tible
*Five brass instruments
**Two
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s
**A
trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
– often a valve-trombone
**Two
fiscorns – a ''fiscorn'' is a rotary-valved baritone
saxhorn
The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...
with the bell facing forward, similar in appearance to a large
flugelhorn
The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...
*A string bass – originally and still often a three-string
double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
There are small variations to this instrumentation in contemporary coblas: for example there is sometimes a third trumpet player.
The playing formation has two rows. The front row has (as seen by the audience from left to right) the flabiolist (with pipe and drum), the second and first tibles, and the first and second tenores. The back row, often raised, has the second and first trumpets, the trombone, and the first and second fiscorns. The double bass player, often standing, is on the right of the band.
History
Originally, the cobla was a 3-piece band:
*One person played the
flabiol
The flabiol () is a Catalan woodwind musical instrument of the family known as '' fipple flutes''. It is one of the 12 instruments of the cobla. The flabiol measures about 25 centimeters in length and has five or six holes on its front face a ...
and drum
*The second person played the tible
*The third played
bagpipes
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...
The main instrument in the cobla, the tenora, was developed around 1850 by French-Catalan luthier Andreu Toron, in
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
/Perpinyà.
The modern 11-piece cobla was developed by the Catalan musician
Josep Maria "Pep" Ventura. He wrote over 200
Sardana
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity through ...
compositions.
See also
*
Sardana
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity through ...
External links
La SardanaVideos of cobles performing sardanes
El testament n'AmèliaVideo of a performance of this sardana (composer
Joan Lamote de Grignon
Joan Lamote de Grignon i Bocquet (; 7 July 1872 – 11 March 1949) was a Catalan Spanish pianist, composer and orchestra director.
Life
Joan Lamote de Grignon was born and died in Barcelona, the son of parents of French descent, Lluis Lamote d ...
), by the cobla "Comtat d'Empúries" in
Castelló d'Empúries
Castelló d'Empúries () is a town and municipality in the Alt Empordà in Province of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It lies 9 km east of Figueres.
History
In 1079, Castelló d'Empúries became the capital of the County of Empúries, Emp ...
The Selvatana Cobla sitehas many pictures and the history of this particular cobla, which was founded in 1913.
www.cobla-amsterdam.nl site of the only non-Catalan cobla in the world, Cobla La Principal d'Amsterdam, founded in 1987 by a group of Dutch professional musicians, distinguished with the Catalan Creu de Sant Jordi in 2007.
an essay about Catalan traditional dancing and music.
*
45-sec Video of Sardana music and dance on Commons Audio Recording of Cobla Music, Palamos, Catalunya* MP-3 examples of
sardana
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity through ...
music are available on th
Selvatana Coblaan
Cobla Sabadellsites.
{{Authority control
Music of Catalonia
Sardana
de:Sardana#Die Cobla, das Sardana-Orchester