Sis Hores de Cançó facts for kids
The Sis Hores de Cançó (which means "Six Hours of Song") was a big music festival held in Canet de Mar, a town in Catalonia, Spain. It was a very important event for Catalan culture and music. This festival happened at a time when the Spanish government, known as the Francoist dictatorship, made it difficult for the Catalan language and culture to be openly celebrated.
Contents
How It Started
The idea for the festival began with a youth group called Agrupament Escolta dels Pioners from Canet de Mar. In August 1969, they organized a small music event at a local tennis club. Their leader was Joan Ramon Mainat. His brother, Josep Maria Mainat, was a member of a very popular Catalan band called La Trinca.
Many famous Catalan singers who wanted the Catalan language to be recognized performed at this first event. These included Lluís Llach, Ovidi Montllor, and Francesc Pi de la Serra. About 500 people came to watch. In April 1970, the group organized another concert, and even more people attended.
The First Festivals
The very first official Sis Hores de Cançó festival took place on September 18, 1971. More singers joined in, and the audience grew to 1,800 people.
The number of people attending kept growing each year:
- 2,500 people in 1972.
- 5,000 people in 1973.
Changes and Challenges
From 1974 to 1978, a company called Pebrots Enterprises took over organizing the festival. This company was linked to the band La Trinca. This change happened because the Spanish government said the original youth group, Agrupament Escolta dels Pioners, was not allowed to organize events.
In 1974, the festival had 15,000 people! During this event, a young person was arrested for sharing political flyers. Also, Joan Ramon Mainat and Toni Cruz (another member of La Trinca) were held by the Guàrdia Civil (police) for 12 hours.
Singing for Freedom
In 1975, 15,000 excited young people attended the festival. The strict rules of the Spanish government were starting to end. Because of this, Rafael Subirachs was able to sing Els Segadors, which is a very popular Catalan song and anthem. He managed to sing it even though there were still rules about what could be performed.
Main Performers
Many great singers performed at the Sis Hores de Cançó over the years. Some of the most well-known were:
- La Trinca
- Toti Soler
- Maria del Mar Bonet
- Francesc Pi de la Serra
- Ovidi Montllor (He was the only singer who performed at every single festival!)
Raimon, another famous singer, only performed once, in 1976.
See also
In Spanish: Sis Hores de Cançó para niños
