Sinfonismo galante en Cataluña: las sinfonías y oberturas de Josep Fàbrega (fl. 1758–91) en contexto

Abstract

The composition of symphonies in Spain received a notable impetus during the second half of the eighteenth century through the genre’s two most renowned representatives of the period, Gaetano Brunetti and Luigi Boccherini. In the Catalan sphere, the most prolific creator of symphonies at this time was Carles Baguer, who served as organist of Barcelona Cathedral from 1790 until his death. However, the symphonic production of Josep Fàbrega, a violinist active in Barcelona between 1758 and 1791, is a pioneering contribution that thus far has hardly been explored. This article introduces Fàbrega biographically and historiographically, then details the known sources of his twelve symphonies and overtures, arranging them according to their copyists and presenting evidence of their use. Finally, a preliminary analytical approach to these works is proposed that draws upon Mary Sue Morrow’s work on eighteenth-century symphonic repertoire as well as the Sonata Theory developed by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy. The present study expands current knowledge of the Spanish symphonic repertoire of this period, situates these twelve unpublished compositions stylistically, and documents their reception.