Joaquim Ferrer i Amer (Quim Gil)
Joaquim Ferrer i Amer (Verges, April 28, 1921 – October 4, 1996), known to everyone in Verges as Quim Gil, was a pivotal musician and composer whose work profoundly shaped the musical identity of the Verges Procession.
A Life Dedicated to Music
Born into a family of musicians, he received his first lessons from his father, who played in the Cobla Emporitana. He later expanded his training with masters Vallespí, Cantó (piano), and Civil (harmony and composition).
By the age of thirteen, he was already playing in the Verges cobla. In 1947, he was directing the Cobla Emporitana of his hometown, recognized as a skilled fiscorn player and pianist.
He succeeded Manuel Saderra as the director of the La Principal de Girona cobla and later played with the Cobla Baix Empordà. Towards the end of his career, in 1984, he also played with the Torroella-based cobla Foment de la Sardana.
Joaquim Ferrer i Amer’s Role in the Procession
Quim was deeply connected to life in the Empordà town. He participated in the Procession for over sixty years, taking on various roles throughout his life.
He began as an Apostle, served as one of The Manages after the war, and ultimately played the fiscorn in the Veronica scene.
During that era, this scene was performed separately as an instrumental “Stabat Mater,” featuring only two flutes and a fiscorn.
Later, Ferrer himself expanded the musical arrangement of the “Stabat Mater” to include a choir of fifteen to twenty singers, which has now grown to 30. This transformation has given the scene an indescribable beauty.
A Lasting Legacy
In 1954, Ferrer taught solfège to the future singer-songwriter Lluís Llach. For several years, he also mentored Vergélitain musician Ramon Juanmiquel i Julià, who would eventually succeed Ferrer as the director of the Procession’s “Stabat Mater.”
