New music and democratic imaginary in post-Francoist Spain

ABSTRACT The period following Franco’s death witnessed significant cultural experiments in the fields of literature, the plastic arts, cinema, and popular music. However, scholars have paid little attention to “new music” (i.e., contemporary classical music), despite its historical and theoretical relevance. This is a remarkable omission considering the long-standing perception that the artistic avant-garde represents social progress and the widespread present-day interest in the relationship between musical practice and social justice. This paper addresses this research gap by examining how new music was used in 1970s and 1980s Spain to imagine an alternative to the controlled parliamentary democracy that was being built by Franco’s institutional successors. First, I analyze the critical examination of the previous musical stage, brought about by the new context of the transition to democracy, and the creation of new associations that were aimed at dynamizing Spain’s cultural life – such as the Asociación de Compositores Sinfónicos Españoles (ACSE), a sort of “trade union” for orchestral composers. I continue with the study of one of the most illustrative musical exercises aimed at experimenting with the idea of democracy: the ensemble Actum, created in 1973 on the initiative of the composer Llorenç Barber, which enacted a range of experimental creative ventures, based on improvisation and musical theatre, as meeting points for professional and amateur artists. Building upon previous studies on the participation of artistic cultures in the wider social struggle to define freedom and equality in the post-Francoist period, this article contributes to the ongoing reassessments of Spain’s democratic transition.