Narcisa Freixas Explained

Narcisa Freixas i Cruells (13 December 1859 – 20 December 1926) was a Catalan sculptor, painter and composer. She was born in Sabadell, Barcelona, the daughter of Pere Freixas Sabater, and first studied painting and sculpture with Modest Urgell i de Torcuato Tasso. However, she developed an interest in music and began the study of piano with Juan Bautista Pujol. She married Miquel Petit, a doctor who died soon afterward, and also lost her daughter at a young age.^[1]

After 1900 Freixas published collections of Catalan songs and nursery rhymes, and helped foster musical education for school children in Barcelona. She died in Barcelona in 1926.^[2]

Works

Freixas composed for voice and instruments and was known for children's songs. Selected compositions include:

• La font del romaní for voice and piano
• L'ametller ('A mig aire de la serra veig un ametller florit'), for voice and piano
• La barca ('La doncella baixa al riu al trenc de l'alba'), for voice and piano
• La son soneta, for voice and piano
• Primaveral ('On va el Sol de març revestit de festa?'), for voice and piano
• L'ombra de Natzaret ('Sentadeta va filant la Natsarena Maria'), for voice and piano
• Dolorosa ('Rient les penes fugen de quí les té'), for voice and piano '
• Lo filador d'or ('N'hi ha un argenter a l'Argenteria'), for voice and piano
• Ai, l'esperança ('Era una tarda serena'), for voice and piano

A collection of her children's songs in Spanish was published in 1927 titled Cancons D'Infants.

Discography

• Compositores catalanes. Generació modernista (CD). Maria Teresa Garrigosa (soprano) and Heidrun Bergander (piano). La mà de guido. Dip.leg. B-45116-2008. Contains songs by Narcisa Freixas, Carmen Karr, Isabel Güell i López, and Luisa Casagemas.^[3]
• CD "Narcisa Freixas (1859-1926) Piano integral". Ester Vela (pianista).La mà de guido. LMG 2161. Dip.leg. B-23421-2019.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Les cançons de Narcisa Freixas. 10 December 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101001173339/http://www.rostoll.cat/obaga/Faristol/Freixas/Freixas.htm. 1 October 2010.
2. Book: The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers. Julie Anne. Sadie. Rhian. Samuel. 1994. W. W. Norton & Company . 9780393034875. 4 October 2010.
3. Web site: Compositores Catalanes. 19 May 2014. La ma de guido.
4. Web site: Narcisa Freixas (1859-1926) Piano integral. 2019. La ma de guido.