Vicent Andrés Estellés i Ovidi Montllor
Vicent Andrés Estellés and Ovidi Montllor

Creative Dialogue of Poetry and Music

Summary/Abstract: This article aims at introducing the Valencian poet Vincent Andrés Estellés and songwriter Ovidi Montllor to the Polish audience. Both artists were able to make their mark in the field of Catalan poetry and songwriting in the 20th century. The works of Estellés and Montllor can successfully be analysed separately and such approach dominates the historical and literary discourse. The author, however, wants to show that in Montllor’s interpretations the Estellés’ poems and the music is interested in the way in such poetry and music are related in the interpretations of performed by Montllor create a whole that could be interpreted as a separate piece of art emancipated from the individual accounts of both artists. Brief recount of both artists’ biographies aims at placing their work in the broader cultural and social context of the Valencia Region in the second half of the 20th century. The similarities as well as the differences between their lives prove to be an interesting starting point for the comparison of their works, both when it comes to topics they choose as well as their reactions to the reality in which they were living. The author attempts to define the place that Estellés occupied in the intellectual panorama of Valencia in the last century, beside such intellectuals as Joan Fuster, among others. Moreover, the author points out the most important topics in poetry of Estellés, such as death, love, political and social opression. Estellés’ poetry was a protest against the cultural discrimination of the Valencian community. The poet stood against the elimination of the culture and language of the region that defined his identity. The resistance against the political regime resulted in a great number of musical arrangements. One of the most prominent songwriters who performed the poet’s works was Ovidi Montllor. As one of the representants of Catalan musical movement, Nova Cançó, Montllor shared a special creative bond with the Valencian poet. Montllor’s interpretations of Estellés’ texts were incomparable, both as stage performances and musical pieces. They allowed the poet’s works to reach a wider audience and become a synonym of the Valencian identity. The songs that came to existence thanks to the collaboration of both artists are sometimes bitter, ironic but also lyrical. They have a special place in the culture of the Valencia region as well as in the minds of the people of Valencia. These pieces of art still inspire young artists of different art forms.

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