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Women between the wars in Barcelona
In 1918, a huge increase in the price of coal caused a rise in the cost of living, which led around 30,000 women in Barcelona undertaking a great revolution.
During the First World War, Spain remained neutral and although there was work, the wages of the workers were still as low as before the start of the conflict. That was about to end. Thousands of workers from abroad arrived in Barcelona and the price of rents in the city rose by 20%. Many families had to build shacks in slum neighbourhoods. The price of basic foods such as bread, coal, oil, potatoes and cod went up too.
In January 1918, Barcelona witnessed a series of strikes and closures of shops, theatres and shops lasting for two weeks. The protagonists of this mobilisation were young women between the ages of 13 and 30 who, faced with economic difficulties, decided to paralyse the city under the slogan “life has already become impossible”.
The courage and determination of the women who led this strike continue to inspire generations of activists and advocates for equality around the world.
Meanwhile in Paris…
While, in Barcelona, women were struggling to achieve a decent life, that same year, Lili Boulanger wrote a musical work that was too joyful for the circumstances surrounding it.
‘On a Spring Morning’ in its first version for violin and piano was written in 1917. A year later, Boulanger arranged it for orchestra.
1918 is a date that is remembered for marking the end of the First World War. However, more negatively, that year marked the outbreak of the great pandemic of the 20th century which became known as the Spanish Flu.
Lili Boulanger, a pioneer with a tragic story
Who was Lily Boulanger? Well, one of the most important composers of the 20th century and who unfortunately had a difficult life. She died very young. This work is her last composition, completed at just nineteen.
Lili was the first woman to win the Grand Prix de Rome, one of the most important composition contests in the world. As a result, other women were encouraged to present work, with some winning this award. It must not be forgotten that she was the first and so served as a reference for future female composers.
Despite this successful career in songwriting, her personal life was hard. She was ill for a long time and died at only twenty-four. In many images of her, she seems to have a very sad and desolate face.
That is precisely why this last work that she wrote is so striking. On a Spring Morning is a piece with a cheerful and optimistic character that has nothing to do with the rest of her compositions.
Get ready to enjoy this wonderful piece of less than 10 minutes, with this optimistic character within the grey world that accompanied the life of Lili Boulanger.
Back in Barcelona
Thanks to the initiative of the successful Women’s Revolt, one year later, another event took place that still marks the length of our working day. The struggle of these women was a benchmark for the workers of the electrical company La Canadiense.
In their fight to demand better working conditions, they paralyzed the city of Barcelona for forty-four days. Blocking 70% of Catalan industry. Many of the strike’s objectives were achieved and the current 8-hour working day was established by law.
Meanwhile in England…
The same year that Virginia Woolf published her second novel Night and Day, another English woman, Rebecca Clark, also became a benchmark in the field of musical composition, publishing her Viola Sonata.
Born in 1886, she was a violist, musicologist, and composer. If we delve into her personal life, we discover that she suffered a lot of abuse from her father as well as all the discrimination against women that existed in the 19th century.
Rebecca or Anthony?
The discrimination was so great that many times she had to publish her works under a pseudonym. His first important work appeared signed with the name of Anthony Trent. It is curious that once, in concerts in which the works were played under this pseudonym, the critics highly praised the pieces. However when it was known that Rebeca Clark was behind the scores, the reviews were not nearly so good.
In 1919, she dared to leave the pseudonym behind and submitted the aforementioned Sonata for viola to an important composition contest. Today it is considered not only one of her most important works, but something very relevant to society of the time of the contest. Another composer, Ernest Bloch, also presented a work for viola. In principle, the jury of the contest considered that both compositions deserved to receive the prize. Finally, due to the opinion of some members, the award went to Ernest Bloch. They could not believe a woman capable of having written such a musical composition. They even suspected that the piece was another Bloch work submitted under a pseudonym.
At present, thanks to specialised musicology, much of her music has been rediscovered and is being performed and valued.
