L’alta naixença del rei En Jaume by Robert Gerhard. An approach to the concept of cantata Authors Xavier Daufí i Rodergas DOI: 10.2436/20.1003.01.149 Keywords: cantata, oratorio, opera, twentieth century, Robert Gerhard, La malvestat d’Oriana (Oriana’s Wickedness), Josep Carner, Antoni Ros-Marbà, L’alta naixença del rei En Jaume (The Noble Birth of the Sovereign Lord King James), medieval Catalan chronicles. Abstract In 1932 Robert Gerhard composed L’alta naixença del rei En Jaume, based on a poem written by Josep Carner. Designated as a cantata by Gerhard himself, the work is set for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra and narrates how King Peter II of Aragon, by means of deception, engendered his son, who was to become King James I the Conqueror. This paper focuses on the term cantata and why Gerhard’s work may or may not be suitably designated by that word. Throughout history, the terms cantata and oratorio have often been used as synonyms, but they are not the same. Twentieth-century composers were not very strict in the use of this word to identify their works and many cantatas of the period were, in fact, oratorios. An analysis of the text and of how the poem is set to music will eventually show the extent to which the term cantata may be appropriately applied to Gerhard’s composition. Downloads Download data is not yet available. Downloads PDF Published 2025-09-25 Issue Vol. 18 (2025) Section Articles License The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors. At the time of submitting the articles to Revista Catalana de Musicologia, authors accept the following terms: — Authors assign to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to Revista Catalana de Musicologia, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes. — Authors answer to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the Societat Catalana de Musicologia for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles. — Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the Societat Catalana de Musicologia when submitting articles. — The Societat Catalana de Musicologia is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary. — Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them. — The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.
