XIII Cycle 'Province Bands at the ADDA'. Societat Musical Cultural d'Alcoleja
75 Years of the Band
Programme:
Juan Torregrosa i Sevila. Emilia Martín — pasodoble, ~5 minutes.
Emilia Martín was the sister of the founder of Alcoleja’s band, the village rector Don Miguel Ángel Martín i Penalba. Juan Torregrosa maintained a close friendship with him, prompting the composer to dedicate a pasodoble to his sister. This pasodoble has been part of the society’s musical journey, performed in numerous concerts both within and outside Alcoleja’s municipal boundaries.
Miguel Picó i Biosca. Alcolecha — pasodoble, ~5 minutes.
Miguel Picó i Biosca was the band’s second conductor. Out of deep affection for the town and its people, he dedicated a pasodoble — *Alcolecha*. This piece has become an emblem of the association, especially in parades, such as the 50th anniversary celebration of the Federation of Valencian Musical Societies (FSMCV) along Micer Mascó Street in Valencia on 26 May 2018.
Manuel Penella Moreno (Valencia, 1881 – Mexico, 1939). *Valencian Rhapsody*, 5’30”.
Composed in 1918.
Francisco Carchano i Moltó. *Ramón Petit* — Christian march, 3’30”.
Francisco Carchano, deeply connected to Alcoleja, co-founded the Societat Musical Cultural d’Alcoleja in the 1990s after a period of decline. He trained the village’s youth in solfège and instrumental performance. As the band’s third conductor — alongside Ramón Petit — he composed this Christian march in honour of Don Ramón Vilaplana, Christian captain of the Almogàvars parade from Ibi (1993). It became a benchmark of festive music in the region and an authentic anthem for the Moors and Christians festivals.
Leopold Magenti Chelvi (Alberic, 1894 – Valencia, 1969). *Mediterranean Sketches*, 25’10”.
Composed in 1956.
Tomás Olcina i Ribes. *President Llinares* — pasodoble, ~5 minutes.
José Antonio Llinares i Igual succeeded Francisco Carchano as conductor in 2007. His father, Antonio Llinares i Llinares — president of the Nova Musical Society of Alcoi and musical advisor to the Sant Jordi Association — was also a member of Alcoleja’s band, holding it in great esteem and affection. Tomás Olcina i Ribes, a native of Gorga, dedicated this pasodoble to him in recognition of their friendship.
José Calixto Serrano Simeón (Sueca, 1873 – Madrid, 1941). *El Príncipe Carnaval*, 12’15”.
Composed in 1914.
Dani Iborra Pellín. *75 Years of the Band* — pasodoble, ~6 minutes.
A wind band is far more than the instruments that compose it; above all, it is the people who make them sound. *75 Years of the Band* is a tribute to every musician who, after daily routines, picked up their instrument and climbed to the Patronat building to rehearse — note by note — the works later enjoyed by Alcoleja’s residents.
This pasodoble honours those musicians, as well as their teachers and everyone who ever applauded them — sharing the joy of festivity, fellowship, and belonging to our shared home: Alcoleja.
Through *75 Years of the Band*, we journey across a sonic landscape beginning with the notes of the *Hymn to Saint Vincent Ferrer*, composed in the 1930s by José María Zaragoza i Barber — priest and teacher of Alcoleja, affectionately known to our grandparents as “el Retoret Vellet”. The introduction continues with variations on the *Canto de l’Aurora* (“Song of the Dawn”), adapted to the joyful, festive character of the pasodoble.
Since no musical journey through Alcoleja would be complete without evoking popular songs, the piece recalls our voices ringing out loud in the town square: *“Y esto lo digo aquí, en Penàguila y en Benasau”* — the local adaptation of Antonio Molina’s *“Como en España ni hablar”*.
Our final stop is the *Gozos a San Vicente Ferrer*, arguably the most beautiful piece in Alcoleja’s musical repertoire. It forms the basis of the pasodoble’s concluding section — the “trio”. Yet only its harmony is used symbolically; the instantly recognisable motifs of *l’Aurora* return instead in the countermelody.
Along this musical route, we pass through the town square, the church, the Patronat, and Alcoleja’s streets. At journey’s end, we simply wish that every note of this pasodoble conveys joy, festivity, and fellowship to all Alcolejans — and, above all, express deepest gratitude to the musicians who formed the band in the past, form it today, and will form it in the future: our beloved Societat Musical Cultural d’Alcoleja.
Reserve your tickets by emailing your full name and the number of attendees to: taquilla.adda@diputacionalicante.es
· Limited capacity: maximum 4 tickets per person. Tickets will be confirmed and issued starting the week before the concert.
· Doors open one hour prior to the concert.