The caramelles de Nadal are a unique expression of the popular culture of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, consisting of a series of goigs (traditional songs of praise) sung by a pair of men with alternating chants, accompanied by flute, castanets, drum, and espasí (traditional sword). Musically, the caramelles represent one of the most distinctive, significant, and beautiful practices of the traditional music of the Catalan-speaking territories.
In this conversation preceding the Christmas caramelles mass, carameller Francisco Javier Bonet will talk with Ibizan singer Lara Magriñá and singer-researcher Ester Llop about the general characteristics of the caramelles and this specific form, their connection to the religious sphere, the social significance of this practice today, and the existing dialogues between this musical form and new creations.
The conversation will be moderated by Jordi Alomar, director of the Museum of Music of Barcelona.
Participants include:
Lara Magriñá Martínez, Ibizan pianist and singer, trained in various vocal forms. She is a choir director and a member of the group L’Arannà, with whom she recorded the album La Salamandra.
Francisco Javier Bonet Bufí, dancer and castanet player with Es Xacoters de Sa Torre de Puig d'en Valls in Ibiza since 1978, and a member and master of their carameller squad since 1991.
Ester Llop, PhD in musicology, teacher, and singer in the group Tornaveus of traditional Catalan polyphony. An expert on goigs, she has co-authored with Jaume Ayats and Juanma Fernando the book El cant i les melodies tradicionals dels Goigs. De la Mediterrània fins a Amèrica i les Filipines (2024).
This series is organized by the Museum of Music and the Office of Religious Affairs.