Judith R.Cohen, Esperança Bonet Roig and Manel Frau

 

Report and Projects: Music in the Balearic and Pityusan Islands

The Balearic Islands, as an administrative unit in Spain, consist of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Despite their close geographical proximity, Ibiza and Formentera, known as the Pityusan Islands, differ significantly from Mallorca and Menorca with respect to music genres and musical life. While the latter have more genres of music and dance, and more musical instruments, certain musical and dance forms of Ibiza and Formentera seem to be unique to these small, long-isolated islands; that is, insularity has functioned in different ways in each set of islands.

 

There are very few published studies of traditional music in the Balearic Islands, almost none in English, and particularly very little on Ibiza and Formentera. This report is intended to be a step toward filling this gap.

 

 

 

The Pityusan Islands: Ibiza and Formentera

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Musical occasions and genres
  4. Vocal genres
  5. Other song genres
  6. Urban traditions
  7. Uc
  8. Choirs, Music of the Church
  9. Instrumental music
  10. Dance
  11. Music in the Pityusan Islands Today

Balearic Islands: Mallorca

  1. Introduction
  2. Instruments
  3. Dances
  4. Song genres
  5. Gender roles

Balearic Islands: Minorca

Endnotes

Bibliography

Sources

Sebastian Ordenas in traditional costume
 Consell, Mallorca, c. 1952
 

Photos and recordings by Alan Lomax. Courtesy of The Alan Lomax Archives and Rounder Records.

Forward | M&A contents page