
Pablo Ronsó: salon music
These pieces belong to the effervescent cultural life of Cerdanya in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With the bourgeoisie spending their summer holidays, the salons of their villas and the halls of the Casino Ceretà hosted the most renowned artists of the Barcelona scene such as Enrique Granados, Josep Vallcorba or Francisco de Paula Sánchez Gavanyach, and the salon music written by composers such as Pablo Ronsó from Puigcerdà was performed. The corpus of this section is made up of habaneras, waltzes and polkas dedicated to persons and associations of the Cerdanya region.
Pablo Ronsó was a distinguished musician and teacher, son of Puigcerdà, born in 1839 and deceased in Barcelona in July 1899 (La Cerdaña 1899, 3). He developed his activity in Barcelona, working as organist of the main parishes of the city, as for example in the Parish of Ntra. Sra. de Carmen "Jerónimas" (La voz del Pirineo 1884, 2), as well as pedagogue, being conserved as testimony of this facet his method of solfeggio adapted and dedicated to the students of the School of Religious of Jesús-María.
There are several references about Pablo Ronsó in the newspaper La voz del Pirineo. For example, the September 11, 1881, in which the celebration of the feast of the Virgin Mary of the Sacristy of Puigcerdà is described “[...] a beautiful solemn mass, directed and executed with total precision by the reputed organist of Barcelona and native of this town, Pablo Ronsó [...]” (La voz del Pirineo 1881, 3). He had an important activity during the time he spent his summers in Puigcerdà, as can be seen in this publication: "[...] a beautiful service sung by several amateurs and artists, neighbors and outsiders, directed and accompanied at the organ by our distinguished countryman. Mr. Pablo Ronsó, a reputed organist from Barcelona who every summer takes advantage of his stay in his native town, organizing religious functions very much to the taste of the devotees, both neighbors and outsiders, being all the more grateful for the generous support of Mr. Ronsó, since it is one more attraction that the inhabitants of this town have in summer" (La voz del Pirineo 1890, 3) and directed the initiative to restore the organ of the Parish Church of Santa María (La voz del Pirineo 1899, 3).
He composed popular and religious music.