26 CATALUÑA LLIVIA... DISTANT PRESENCE These composers share a very strong attachment to their local environment. Debussy even spoke of the ‘perfume’ of Déodat de Séverac’s music. How is this reflected in their compositions? Everything can be found in the reference to folklore that each composer draws upon and absorbs into his own language. In Mompou’s case, it can belong to the realm of imaginary, insofar as some of the Canción y Danza are based on original themes. Yet he also draws on Catalan heritage, as in the final piece of the cycle, which takes its inspiration from a traditional nursery rhyme. Déodat de Séverac, by contrast, leans more towards invention, managing to distance himself from popular sources by deploying his own poetic imagination. As for Albéniz, his music is steeped in folk themes which are often swept up in a flurry of notes. And if these compositions strike us as so authentic, it is also because they allow us to hear the sounds of life itself. Mompou, like Séverac, who had turned away from Paris and its social bustle, succeeded in capturing moments of everyday life. They speak here of country folk, evoke simple gestures such as children’s games, memories of village festivities, and nature's fragrances.
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