Oral and sound heritage

Isaac Albéniz was possibly the first Catalan musician to achieve international fame. Born in Camprodon in 1860, he was noted as a composer and pianist. A child prodigy, he travelled around the world and left an extensive and prolific musical output with notable instrumental innovations. In his hometown, one can immerse oneself in this major figure in the history of music.

The Isaac Albéniz Museum houses an extensive documentary collection about the composer: letters, original handwritten scores and first editions, books, photographs, furniture and personal belongings. Among other things, you can see the Bernareggi & Gassó upright piano belonging to the elder sister of Albéniz on which he began playing music when he was two or three years old. Or the Bechstein grand piano that belonged to his daughter Enriqueta.

Through the collection, donated mainly by the descendants of the musician, you can trace the life and work of Albéniz and through which his relationship with other figures such as Pau Casals, Paul Debussy, Enric Granados and Cesar Frank is made clear.

The Archive of the Crown of Aragon (ACA) is the historical archive which contains the documents from the institutions of the ancient Crown of Aragon, as well from other historical Spanish collections. The former Royal Archive of Barcelona brings together more than seven centuries of history between its walls.

King Jaume II of Aragon created the Royal Archive of Barcelona in 1318 with the aim of unifying the collection from all the Crown territories. At the beginning, it was mainly to safeguard the written records relating to the Royal Heritage, as well as government and legal documents. During the Bourbon monarchy the building was modernised (1738), a new internal regulations were approved (1754) and with the change of name began the task of incorporating the files of institutions of the Ancient Regime into the collection of the Crown of Aragon.

Until 1993, it was housed in the Palau del Lloctinent, a building constructed between 1549 and 1557 as an extension of the Palau Reial Major in Barcelona. Subsequently, the majority of documents, as well as the task of research, conservation and custody, were moved to the current location on Carrer Almogàvers. The historical headquarters is maintained for the dissemination, through courses and exhibitions, and for ceremonial events.

During Corpus Christi, the capital of Berguedà transforms itself with the celebration of "Patum", a singular festival in Catalonia that has continued practically without interruption since the fifteenth century.

The origin of this tradition, which in 2005 was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of Intangible World Heritage dates back to the "entreméses", paratheatrical performances that were part of the medieval processions of Corpus Christi.

The main days of the celebration are Thursday and Sunday. At noon, Patum is more reserved and solemn, while at night it is festive and participatory. The main protagonists and events of the festival are the drums, the Turks and Little Knights, the Maces, the Mules, the Eagle, the Old Dwarves, the Giants, the New Dwarves, the "Plens" (fire devils) and the "Tirabol" (final dance).

The climax of the Patum is the "Plens", fire devils which transform Berga's main square into a fiery hell. The main characters of the festival dance to the rhythm of drum music and the music of Joaquim Serra composed in the late nineteenth century.

The history of Catalan bibliography cannot be understood without the task of acquisition, preservation and dissemination of collections with immense literary, artistic and scientific interest that the Biblioteca de Catalunya (The National Library of Catalonia) has held since its creation in 1907.

Notable amongst its holdings of approximately three million items, are the collection of nearly 20,000 manuscripts and 500,000 letters. There we find medieval marvels such as the Homilies d'Organyà (13th century), the Llibre de l'orde de cavalleria (Book of the Order of Chivalry), by Ramon Llull and the four great Chronicles; or seminal modern manuscripts such as the Oda a la Pàtria (Ode to the Motherland), by Bonaventura C. Aribau (1833), or L'Atlàntida, by Jacint Verdaguer.

Also notable are the newspaper and sound archives, as well as the graphic collections, with prints, drawings, maps and photographs, from the 16th century until the present day.

The Biblioteca de Catalunya also manages the Frederic Marès Book Museum, consisting of more than 1,500 documents that the collector gave to the institution. And also the Joan Maragall Archive, housed in the former residence of the poet.

From 1939, the Biblioteca de Catalunya has been based in the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu in Barcelona, one of the most important complexes of 15th century Gothic civil architecture in Catalonia. As a result of the merger of several medieval hospitals in Barcelona, it was for many centuries the largest health facility in the country.

The Exile Memorial Museum (MUME) is the first museum facility dedicated to preserving the memory and legacy of Republican exiles caused by the Spanish Civil War.

Located at la Jonquera, the border crossing where most of the exiles escaped, the MUME is defined as a space for memory, history and critical reflection. A project that is not only limited to the task of exhibition but which promotes historical research and educational outreach.

Its permanent exhibition presents the phenomenon of exile throughout history, placing the emphasis on the Civil War and the subsequent republican defeat and withdrawal. The dispersion of refugees through the Pyrenees on the path to France and the fate of several thousand refugees who crossed the border is one of the points of interest of the exhibition. The experiences of the exiles and their cultural legacy from testimonies and documentary heritage complete the exhibition.