Joaquín Rodrigo

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Monument to Joaquín Rodrigo in Aranjuez

Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre (born November 22, 1901 in Sagunt , Valencia , † July 6, 1999 in Madrid ) was a Spanish composer .

Life

Rodrigo, born as the youngest of ten children of a wealthy wine merchant, went almost completely blind in the age of four as a result of diphtheria , moved with his family to Valencia in 1906 , studied composition and harmony in Valencia until 1927 and then went to Paris , where he was completed his musical training in the subjects of composition, piano and harmony at the Ecole Normale de Musique with Paul Dukas, among others, by 1932.

In 1928 he met his future wife, the Turkish pianist Victoria Kamhi (1905–1997), in Paris . She came from a Sephardic family. The couple married in Valencia in 1933. Cecilia is their daughter.

In the following years Rodrigo made numerous trips that took him to Germany , Austria and Switzerland , and in 1934 he returned to Paris for a year to study music history. On May 6, 1936, Rodrigo gave a lecture on Vihuela musicians of the 16th century in Paris , during which Emilio Pujol provided musical examples on two replica instruments. In September 1939 Rodrigo settled with his wife in Madrid, but continued to travel extensively, including to England , Italy , Greece and South America .

In 1948 Rodrigo became professor of music history at the Madrid Conservatory. He also worked as a music critic and was head of the music department at radio. Despite several eye operations, he became completely blind at the time. He drafted his compositions in Braille and then dictated them to a copyist or his wife, who initially proofread them.

He received numerous honors and awards, including the Premio Nacional de Música in 1942 and 1982 . He was also awarded honorary doctorates by seven universities, including the Polytechnic University of Valencia . On December 30, 1991, Rodrigo was raised to the hereditary Spanish nobility by King Juan Carlos I and received the title of Marqués de los Jardines de Aranjuez . In 1996 he received the Premio Príncipe de Asturias . Rodrigo died in Madrid on July 6, 1999.

Bust of the composer with a relief of his wife Victoria Kamhi over the right shoulder; from the Parque de España de la ciudad de Rosario, Santa Fe (Argentina) .

style

The meeting with Manuel de Falla during his time in Paris was formative for Rodrigo . Influenced by him and Paul Dukas , Rodrigo developed a personal style that combined neoclassicism with Spanish folklore. In some cases, slightly changed, he took over typical figures from the 16th to 18th centuries or adapted pieces from old Spanish masters. At the same time he oriented himself towards folk music, especially dance music. His melodies are very memorable, the orchestration is always clear and more chamber music, but still very colorful. Rodrigo's works are in the context of tonality , but he liked to enrich his harmony with slight dissonances . He was particularly interested in the genre of the concert. His best-known work, which made him world-famous at the time, is the Concierto de Aranjuez , written for Regino Sáinz de la Maza and premiered by him in 1940 , whose slow movement is one of the most popular pieces of music of the 20th century. Rodrigo is considered the most important Spanish composer of his generation.

Works

  • Orchestral works
    • Zarabanda lejana y villancio , symphonic poem (1926–1930)
    • Per la flor del lliri blau (For the blossom of a blue lily), symphonic poem (1934)
    • Música para un jardín (Music for a Garden), symphonic poem (1923–1957)
    • A la busca del más allá (In search of the afterlife), symphonic poem (1976)
  • Works for wind orchestra
    • Pasodoble para Paco Alcalde (1975)
    • Adagio para Instrumentos de Víento (1966)
    • Homenaje a la Tempranica (1939)
    • Per la Flor del Lliri Blue (arr. 1984)
  • Concerts
    • Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra (1939)
    • Fantasía para un Gentilhombre for guitar and orchestra (1954)
    • Concierto para una fiesta for guitar and orchestra (1983)
    • Concierto madrigal for two guitars and orchestra (1966)
    • Concierto Andaluz for four guitars and orchestra (1967)
    • Concierto Serenata for harp and orchestra (1952)
    • Sones en la Giralda for harp and orchestra (1963)
    • Concierto heroico for piano and orchestra (1942, rev. 1995)
    • Concierto de estío for violin and orchestra (1943)
    • Concierto en modo galante for violoncello and orchestra (1949)
    • Concierto como un divertimento for violoncello and orchestra (1981)
    • Concierto pastoral for flute and orchestra (1978)
  • Piano works (selection)
    • El Album de Cecilia (María de los Reyes, Jota de las Palomas, Canción del Hada rubia, Canción del Hada morena, El negrito Pepo, Borriquillos a Belén) (1948)
    • Sarabanda Lejana
    • Pastoral
  • Other works
    • El hijo fingido , Zarzuela (1964)
    • Songs z. B. Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios (1948) for piano and soprano based on old texts
    • Choirs
    • Chamber music for strings
    • Guitar music
      • En los Trigales
      • Sarabande Lointaine
      • Fantasia para un Gentilhombre

literature

  • Wolf Moser : Aranjuez and the consequences. Life and work of the composer Joaquín Rodrigo. In: Guitar & Laute 9, 1987, Issue 5, pp. 21-26.
  • Federico Scopeña: Joaquín Rodrigo. Madrid 1970.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erich Wendelin: birthday party. In: Guitar & Laute 9, 1987, issue 2, p. 56 f .; here: p. 56.
  2. ^ Pujol's life data. In: Guitar & Laute 8, 1986, issue 2, p. 51.
  3. ↑ Peter Päffgen: Joaquín Rodrigo: 85 years. In: Guitar & Lute. Volume 8, No. 6, 1986, p. 56 f.
  4. ↑ Monique Pfister and Marc Seiffge: The short interview: Joaquín Rodrigo. In: Guitar & Lute. Volume 5, No. 2, 1983, p. 147.
  5. ↑ Peter Päffgen (1986), p. 57
  6. ↑ Monique Pfister and Marc Seiffge: The short interview: Joaquín Rodrigo. In: Guitar & Laute 5, 1983, issue 2, p. 147.
personal data
SURNAME Rodrigo, Joaquín
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rodrigo Vidre, Joaquín
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish composer
DATE OF BIRTH November 22, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Sagunto , Valencia
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1999
Place of death Madrid