José White Lafitte
José Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte (born January 17, 1836 in Matanzas , † March 15, 1918 in Paris ) was an Afro-Cuban violinist and composer.
life and work
White took violin lessons from José Miguel Roman and Pedro Lecerff . In 1854 he gave his first public concert in Matanzas. His piano accompanist was Louis Moreau Gottschalk , who encouraged him to continue his musical training in Paris.
In 1855 he began studying at the Conservatoire de Paris , where Jean-Delphin Alard (violin), Napoléon-Henri Reber (composition) and Ferdinand Taite (counterpoint and fugue) were among his teachers. In 1856 he received the Premier Grand Prix in the violin category.
From 1857–1858 White was first violinist in a string quartet. Then he returned to Cuba because of his father's illness, where he performed again with Gottschalk. From 1861 to 1874 he lived again in Paris. He performed successfully as a soloist and chamber musician and in 1865 became a member of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire . His violin students included u. a. George Enescu and Jacques Thibaud .
In the early 1870s White went on a concert tour of Europe, then toured South and North America. Between 1875 and 1877 he performed in New York, Boston, Washington and Philadelphia. From 1877 to 1889 he was director of the Conservatory of Rio de Janeiro. He was appointed court violinist by Emperor Dom Pedro II , and in 1883 he founded the Sociedade de Concertos Clássicos with Arthur Napoleão . From 1889 he lived again as a violinist, teacher and composer in Paris.
As a composer, White was influenced by European musicians such as Henryk Wieniawski and Henri Vieuxtemps . He composed a. a. a violin concerto, a string quartet, a bolero for violin and orchestra, variations for harpsichord and orchestra and pieces for violin and piano.
Web links
- African Heritage in Classical Music - José Silvestre White (1835-1918)
- Guije.com - José Silvestre White Laffite
- Iberoamerica Music - José Silvestre White
- José White in the official Cuban online encyclopedia EcuRed (Spanish)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | White Lafitte, José |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | White Lafitte, José Silvestre de los Dolores (full name); White, José |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Afro-Cuban violinist and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 17, 1836 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Matanzas |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 15, 1918 |
| Place of death | Paris |