Xàbia issues institutional statement to support Valencian bands

Tuesday 25th May 2021 – PRESS RELEASE with Mike Smith

The Board of Representatives has agreed to support an institutional statement from the town hall of Xàbia will be joining the request of the Federation of the Musical Societies of the Comunidad Valenciana (FSMCV) to the Ministry of Culture in Madrid to rectify a phrase contained in the Royal Decree 229/2021 issued on March 30th of this year that declares Valencian bands as a Representative Manifestation of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Specifically, the request is to correct of the phrase that states that “the origin of Valencian bands is due to a mimetic movement to that of Catalan choral groups”.

At a meeting held this morning, the representatives of the political parties in Xàbia which has representation on the council have also agreed to change the schedule of the ordinary plenary session of the Council, which from June will return to the evening schedule of 8.00pm during the summer months and 7.00pm during the winter period.

INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The Valencian Musical Societies form an extraordinary associative phenomenon present in the territory of the Comunidad Valenciana, generating in turn spaces of intergenerational relationship. From its origins to the present day, band music finds its maximum expression, diversity and degree of development in the Comunidad Valenciana, exerting influence in the rest of Spain and even internationally.

The Valencian Musical Societies are a resource for local development, both through tourism and the cultural industries and other material elements essential for their development. Besides, the resources that generate revert directly in the territory of the VComunidad Valenciana.

There are more than 1,100 music bands, more than 600 schools, more than 40,000 musicians, 60,000 students and 200,000 members and thousands of volunteers who make up one of the most extensive volunteer networks in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the educational, social and cultural work, unique in the world, that represent the musical societies of the Comunidad Valenciana, some of them centennial and bicentennial, that represent more than 50% of the set of Spanish musical societies.

In Xàbia we have a good example with the Centre Artístic Musical de Xàbia, an entity with more than 50 years of history – it was founded in 1964 – which, in addition to being a very important actor in cultural dissemination, has been a powerful dynamizer. social and meeting point and friendship between several generations.

It is also essential for other representations of our culture, such as festivals, and demonstrates their social commitment by participating in charitable or sports activities, among others.

The Centre Artístic Musical de Xàbia has been able to maintain its essence and at the same time, evolve and adapt to new times with the creation of new groups so that people who love music find their place, regardless of their level and formation. Thus, today, in addition to the Music Band, it has the Orchestra, the Youth Band and the Youth Orchestra and even an introductory school for the little ones.

For all this, the Generalitat Valenciana, on May 25, 2018, declared them an Intangible Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). A historical recognition that contributes to the protection and promotion of the Musical Societies and that comes to reaffirm its role like one of the main cultural agents of the Comunidad and guarantees a series of measures of protection and safeguard of the BIC, like the one to realize works of ‘identification, description, research, study and documentation of this, among others, to ensure its protection and preservation or to ensure the normal development and survival of this cultural manifestation.

On March 30, following the line of the Generalitat Valenciana, the Government of Spain declared the Musical Societies of the Comunidad Valenciana as a Representative Manifestation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which has been a very important step forward in terms of conservation , protection and dissemination of a cultural asset such as societies.

Nevertheless, the past 6 of May, when the Real-Decree 229/2021 of 30 of March was published in the BOE that declared to the Valencian musical societies like Representative Manifestation of the Intangible Cultural Patrimony, exposed that the origin of the Valencian bands were due to a “mimetic movement” of the Catalan groups.

From the Federation of Musical Societies of the Comunidad Valenciana have already sent a letter to the Minister of Culture and Sport to ask him, on the basis of studies and research, to rectify this statement as it does not conform to reality . And this is what we need to be based on, because they are the ones who know the situation of societies best and how to adjust to reality.

Therefore, this municipality recognizes the work done by music societies and as a council we ask that this sentence be rectified by Royal Decree Law 229/2021 of March 30, in article 2. And that this rectification be as requested. the Federation of Musical Societies of the Comunidad Valenciana.

Xàbia, 25 de maig de 2021