Music and symbolism in the liturgical works of Joan Pujol (1570-1626)

Abstract

The liturgical works by Joan Pujo! are characterized by an eclectic style and the composer, writing in the context of the transition in Catalan music from the 16th to the 17th centuries, shows signs of having assimilated the Hispanic tradition of the Golden Age. In his contrapunta! writing Pujo! makes use of a wide range of structural resources and rhetorical procedures, which give evidence at the same time of a subtle semantic and symbolic awareness. In his writing for four voices Pujo! devotes himself to a play on different styles with an intensity which at times brings him near to the mannerist aesthetic. In his works for double chorus, eight voices, however, these expressive resources resemble rather the plastic arts of the Baroque, with their contrasting reliefs and varying density, in an attempt to convey their sonorous message with weight and clarity.