Music for the Moors and Christians Festivities as Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Specific Genre for Wind Bands in Certain Spanish Regions

Abstract

This chapter makes a brief approach to the origins and evolution of both wind bands and the Moors and Christians festivals, especially in the Valencian Region, tracing the lines that connected both phenomena at a specific moment in history. The indissoluble relationship that has united them since then has created a musical genre that has not only become one of the most recognisable signs of Valencian society’s identity, but also a treasure of its intangible cultural heritage, and a fundamental part of the economic activity of musical societies in the context of what certain authors call “the ecosystem of the Moors and Christians cluster”. Moors and Christians festivals are linked to the hiring of bands for musical accompaniment in parades and for the celebration of other activities, such as concerts, recreational performances and recordings which make up an essential part of many musical societies’ funding sources.