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UROP Grant 2025
Aberdeen Brickett has been selected to receive a grant from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) at the University of Southern Maine for the 2025–2026 academic year. Her awarded project, "Valencian Voices: Matilde Salvador and Bernat Artola's Cinc Cançons de Bressol", explores the cultural, musical, and poetic intersections in a rarely studied song cycle composed by 20th-century Spanish composer Matilde Salvador, with texts by renowned Valencian poet Bernat Artola.
With the support of UROP, Aberdeen will conduct archival research, collaborate with faculty mentors, and prepare for both academic presentation and public performance of the work. Her research contributes to growing scholarly interest in underrepresented composers and offers a platform for exploring themes of memory, identity, and the power of music as a vehicle for cultural continuity.
Within the academic year, this research will culminate in both poetic and direct translations of the traditional Catalan song cycle, aiming to make these musical resources more accessible to a broader audience, including performers, educators, and scholars. These translations, along with accompanying historical and musical context, will be published on Aberdeen’s website, aberdeensopranostudio.com, and other platforms used for online archive of art song texts and translations. Additional information and resources will be shared as the project progesses throughout the upcoming year.
You can find more information about the Undergraduate Reaseach Opportunites Program (UROP) here: https://usm.maine.edu/research/urop/
"Valencian Voices: Matilde Salvador and Bernat Artola's Cinc Cançons de Bressol" by Aberdeen Brickett
Abstract: My project focuses on the lullabies and art songs of 20th-century Valencian composer Matilde Salvador. This project focuses on rebalancing the canon of Spanish composers, which is currently dominated by three men: Joaquin Rodrigo, Fernando Obradors, and Joaquin Turiña. It is my argument that Salvador is the Mother of Spanish Art Song and that her music is among the masters. Research leads me to believe the poetry, by Bernat Artola, is in the National Library of Spain. I will translate these pieces and submit them to The LiederNet Archive, making them accessible to musicians. The project will result in published translations and recitals. Harnessing the power of a former UROP winner who is now living in Madrid, Bella StCyr ‘23, we will interview Salvador’s relatives and perform recitals in Spain. Together, we will share regional Spanish music and raise awareness of the cultural value of preserving musical voices.
Introduction and Background: The Osher School of Music promotes original composition, making this project an avenue into participating in shaping music. It builds on the strong tradition of excellence of vocal study here at USM and continues the legacy of UROP, drawing a parallel with past winners' research in diversifying music. Research includes in-person interviews in Valencia, research at Archivo Matilde Salvador in Castelló de la Plana, and public performances in both Spain and Maine. The process of unearthing overlooked music is like an archaeological project—an ongoing search for something new. The latest data on musical representation shows that women composers account for only 7.5% of repertoire performed by orchestras across the globe, (Donne, Women in Music). This allows me to spotlight a composer from a secondary Spanish city who remains largely unknown. Matilde Salvador’s manuscripts, many of which have never been published, can only be accessed through location-based research in Castelló de la Plana, where her documents are maintained by her relatives. The scarcity of Salvador’s Cinc Cançons de Bres and Bernat Artola’s lullaby texts presents serious challenges for scholars and performers. By uplifting the hidden works of Salvador and Artola, this project brings long-overdue attention to Valencian musical culture.
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