El Cant dels Ocells (The Song of the Birds) and Bernat Vivancos
Cantala will be singing one of the most beloved Christmas melodies of Catalonia, El Cant dels Ocells ("The Song of the Birds") in our upcoming concert. This piece is a traditional folk carol whose origins date back to the seventeenth century. The anonymous text describes the joy of the natural world at the birth of the Christ Child, specifically, the birdsong. As dawn breaks over Bethlehem, birds of every kind—from the linnet and thrush to the nightingale and lark—join together in song to celebrate the miracle of Christmas. Rather than on the Nativity itself, the carol focuses on nature-creation- rejoicing.
Bernat Vivancos
The arrangement that Cantala will be performing is by Catalan composer Bernat Vivancos (b. 1973). Vivancos is a leading contemporary choral composer in Europe. Born in Barcelona, Vivancos received his earliest musical education as a chorister at the famous Monastery of Montserrat, one of the oldest musical institutions in Europe.
Vivancos' arrangement of El Cant dels Ocells reflects his distinctive musical language. Rather than treating the melody with traditional harmonies, he surrounds the familiar tune with gently shifting clusters of sound that create an atmosphere of stillness and contemplation. A solo voice first introduces the timeless melody before it blossoms into rich choral textures. Throughout the work, sustained harmonies shimmer beneath the melody like light filtering through stained glass, allowing the ancient folk song to emerge with renewed freshness and emotional depth. Vivancos himself has described his harmonization as preserving the purity of the original melody while surrounding it with "a constant, uniform aura of sound," culminating in a fuller and slightly darker harmonic landscape before returning to simplicity.
Bernat Vivancos' sensitive arrangement honours both the simplicity of the folk melody and the profound spirituality that has made this song one of Catalonia's greatest musical treasures. The result is a work of extraordinary beauty—quiet, radiant, and deeply moving.