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Lluís Llach i Grande (; born 7 May 1948) is a Spanish Catalan singer-songwriter, novelist and politician. He is one of the main representatives of the '' nova cançó'' genre and an outspoken advocate of the right to self-determination of Catalonia. His most famous song, " L'Estaca", has become the unofficial anthem of the Catalan independence movement. He was a member of the Catalan Parliament from September 2015 until January 2018.
Llach is a supporter of Catalan independence and the left-wing party ERC. He stood for election in the parliamentary elections of September 2015, as an independent candidate in the Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) pro-independence alliance. He headed the alliance's
anti-independence unionist demonstration
the following day, he tweeted
"Tomorrow let's leave the streets of Barcelona empty. Let the vultures find no food"
Official website (in Catalan and Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llach, Lluis 1948 births Living people People from Girona Catalan-language singers Spanish male singer-songwriters Spanish singer-songwriters Spanish male novelists Musicians from Catalonia Composers from Catalonia LGBTQ people from Catalonia Members of the 11th Parliament of Catalonia 20th-century Spanish male singers 21st-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish male writers 20th-century Spanish novelists 21st-century Spanish novelists Gay singers Gay songwriters Gay novelists Spanish gay politicians Spanish gay musicians Spanish gay writers Spanish LGBTQ singers Spanish LGBTQ songwriters Spanish LGBTQ novelists 20th-century Spanish LGBTQ people 21st-century Spanish LGBTQ people Catalan Anti-Francoists 21st-century Catalan people
Music
He is one of the main representatives of '' nova cançó'' (New Song), a movement of musicians, and singers who defiedFrancisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
's dictatorship by singing political songs in Catalan during a time when the language and other manifestations of Catalan identity were not allowed. Nonetheless, on January 23, 1973, TVE aired the show ''Lluís Llach'', in the Catalan language, shot in various locations in the province of Girona. His famous song " L'Estaca" about a rotten pole about to fall was clear enough as an image of the regime. As many other singers, writers and politically involved artists, Llach left Spain and lived in voluntary exile in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
until Franco's death.
Though partially dependent on arrangers, like Manel Camp or Carles Cases in his early works, Llach's songwriting has largely evolved from the more basic early compositions to a vastly more complex harmonic and melodic writing. Self-taught as a guitarist, Llach only strums simple chords on guitar. As a pianist, he shows a good knowledge of the European song tradition from Schubert to Hahn with touches of Satie ("Nounou") and his local imitators like Mompou and Manuel Blancafort ("A la taverna del mar"). Llach has used salsa piano patterns ("Terra") and jazzy whole-step block modulations ("El jorn dels miserables") and progressions ("Cançó d'amor a la llibertat"). Some early songs depicted some inspiration from Baroque dances ("Laura", "Jo sé", "Vinyes verdes vora el mar") and ostinato chord patterns ("Non", "Somniem"). Among his influences as singer, Llach has recognized Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...
and Jacques Brel.
His lyrics can range from traditional romantic songs, to more complex, philosophical song-cycles and also to some more ironic, politically based compositions, with a more upbeat tempo. When he doesn't write the lyrics of his songs he sings to the lyrics of a variety of poets, including Constantine P. Cavafy, Màrius Torres, Josep Maria de Segarra, Pere Quart and, perhaps more often than with any of the others, Miquel Martí i Pol.
Llach has occasionally performed as a classical baritone
A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...
, including a series of performances of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, and has also been a wine producer. He marked his retirement as front man in music with a farewell concert in Verges (March 2007), in Baix Empordà on the Costa Brava, the village in which he grew up. He has performed incidental music for theatre pieces since then.
His 1968 song "L'Estaca" has become the anthem of several political movements, including Solidarność
Solidarity (, ), full name Independent Self-Governing Trade Union "Solidarity" ( , abbreviated ''NSZZ „Solidarność”''), is a Polish trade union founded in August 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Polish People's Rep ...
in Poland, the Tunisian Revolution, the Indignados or Occupy movement in Spain, and the Catalan independence movement, regularly sung by crowds at demonstrations.
Politics
Llach is a supporter of Catalan independence and the left-wing party ERC. He stood for election in the parliamentary elections of September 2015, as an independent candidate in the Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) pro-independence alliance. He headed the alliance's list
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...
for Girona, one of the four constituencies, and was elected.
The coalition got 11 out of 17 seats in Girona.
In 2021, Llach endorsed the left-wing, pro-independence CUP citing the issue of healthcare.
Controversial statements
In July 2017, Lluis Llach stated that civil servants in Catalonia who continued to follow Spanish law after a future declaration of independence would be "penalised". On 7 October 2017, prior to thanti-independence unionist demonstration
the following day, he tweeted
"Tomorrow let's leave the streets of Barcelona empty. Let the vultures find no food"
Personal life
Llach is openly gay. During the trial of Catalonia independence leaders in 2019, he protested being asked to answer questions from the lawyers of the far-right party Vox, "as a homosexual and pro-independence citizen, and aspiring citizen of the world."Discography
* ''Els èxits de Lluís Llach'' (1969) * ''Ara i aquí'' (1970) * ''Com un arbre nu'' (1972) * ''Lluís Llach a l'Olympia'' (1973) * ''L'Estaca'' (1973) * ''I si canto trist...'' (1974) * ''Viatge a Itaca'' (1975) * ''Barcelona, gener de 1976'' (1976) * ''Campanades a morts'' (1977) * ''El meu amic, el mar'' (1978) * ''Somniem'' (1979) * ''Verges 50'' (1980) * ''I amb el somriure, la revolta'' (1982) * ''T'estimo'' (1984) * ''Maremar'' (1985) * ''Camp del Barça, 6 de juliol de 1985'' (1985) * ''Astres'' (1986) * ''Geografia'' (1988) * ''La forja de un rebelde'' (1990) * ''Torna aviat'' (1991) * ''Ara, 25 anys en directe'' (1992) * ''Un pont de mar blava'' (1993) * ''Rar'' (1994) * ''Porrera'' (1995) * ''Nu'' (1997) * ''9'' (1998) * ''Temps de revoltes'' (2000) * ''Jocs'' (2002) * ''Junts'' (2003) * ''Poetes'' (2004) * ''Que no s'apague la llum'' (2005) * ''i...'' (2006) * ''Verges 2007'' (2007)Bibliography
*''Memòria d'uns ulls pintats'' (2012) *''Estimat Miquel'' (2014) *''Les dones de la Principal'' (2014) *''El noi del Maravillas'' (2017) *''Escac al destí'' (2020)Literature about Lluís Llach
Pep Blay's ''Lluís Llach'' (Col·lecció "Los Autores", SGAE, Barcelona, 1995) is a biography about the Catalan musician and songwriter Llach, which contains an interesting chronology, a collection of pictures, an anthology of songs and a discography.Awards and distinctions
* 1982: Creu de Sant Jordi * 2013: Euskadi de Plata prize for the Spanish translation of ''Memòria d'uns ulls pintats''. * 2013: Maria Àngels Anglada Prize for ''Memòria d'uns ulls pintats''. * 2016: Prix Méditerranée for ''Les yeux fardés'' (French translation of ''Memòria d'uns ulls pintats''). * 2017: Honorary doctorate from the Universitat de Girona * 2020: Gold Medal of the Generalitat of CataloniaReferences
External links
Official website (in Catalan and Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llach, Lluis 1948 births Living people People from Girona Catalan-language singers Spanish male singer-songwriters Spanish singer-songwriters Spanish male novelists Musicians from Catalonia Composers from Catalonia LGBTQ people from Catalonia Members of the 11th Parliament of Catalonia 20th-century Spanish male singers 21st-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish male writers 20th-century Spanish novelists 21st-century Spanish novelists Gay singers Gay songwriters Gay novelists Spanish gay politicians Spanish gay musicians Spanish gay writers Spanish LGBTQ singers Spanish LGBTQ songwriters Spanish LGBTQ novelists 20th-century Spanish LGBTQ people 21st-century Spanish LGBTQ people Catalan Anti-Francoists 21st-century Catalan people