La fiesta de la Momería. (Barcelona, 1701)
(Pilar Montoya Chica)

On the occasion of the arrival to Barcelona and mariage of Philip V with Maria Luisa Gabriela of Savoy, the Council of Catalonia organized, in 1701, the comic festivity known as La Momería. Knowledge of this event has been preserved thanks to a detailed account dated 1702, housed in the Biblioteca de Catalunya.

It featured the participation of twelve ladies and an equal number of gentlemen, all members of the Catalan nobility, richly attired and performing a selection of the most representative dances of the time: Canario, Gran Duque, Xácara, Paradeta, Turdion, Torneo, Ayrosa catalana, and Minouet—the latter being one of the earliest documented instances of the minuet’s presence in Spain.

The contents of the present study include, in addition to the base text, the consultation and analysis of primary sources on dance complemented by instrumental compilations.

Finally, the primary aim of this research is to contribute to the understanding of such cultural phenomena and to approach a proposal for the recreation of these repertoires, acknowledging the necessary artistic liberties as an intrinsic part of the reconstruction process.

 

Pilar Montoya Chica, Zaragoza, Spain

Trained at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón and at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Pilar Montoya is one of the most relevant historical harpsichordists, organists and historical dancers on the current scene.

First Prize for harpsichord in Paris, graduated in Orchestra Conducting at Royal School of Music in London, her concert activity takes place in Europe, America and Japan. Regularly invited to participate in conferences and give master classes on baroque music and dance both in Spain and abroad.

Professor at Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León, Director of the early dance company “Los Comediantes del Arte”, Master’s professor at the Universidad de Salamanca and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, author of articles on Spanish baroque dance published in specialized magazines, she is currently working on her Doctoral Thesis on theatrical dance under the reign of Felipe V directed by B. Lolo.