Xavier Montsalvatge
Xavier Montsalvatge (born March 11, 1912 in Girona , † May 7, 2002 in Barcelona ) was a Spanish composer and music critic from Catalonia . He is considered one of the key figures in Spanish music in the second half of the 20th century.
biography
Montsalvatge studied violin and composition at the Conservatory in Barcelona, the Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona , where he later became a teacher (from 1970) and then professor of composition (from 1978). He was a student of Lluís Maria Millet , Enric Morera , Jaume Pahissa and Eduard Toldrà . After the Spanish Civil War he began to write as a music critic for the newspaper Destino (1942), whose director he was in 1968 and 1975, and for the daily newspaper La Vanguardia (from 1962).
His musical work can be divided into different phases. At the beginning it is strongly influenced by the twelve-tone technique and Wagnerianism , which dominated the Catalan music scene at the time ( Sinfonía mediterránea 1949). This was followed by an era in which he was inspired by the music of the Antilles ( Cinco canciones negras 1945, Cuarteto indiano 1952). He later maintained contact with the French composers Olivier Messiaen and Georges Auric , who made decisive changes to his style. Free polytonality was characteristic of this phase ( Partida , 1958). Eventually he was influenced by avant-garde styles.
Works
Montsalvatge's works include practically all genres, from opera ( El gato con botas , Una voz en off ) to chamber music ( Cuarteto indiano ), with orchestral works such as Desintegración morfológica de la Chacona de Bach , Laberinto o Sinfonía de réquiem or the Sinfonía Mediterránea (1949), for which he received the Music Academy Award. He owed his international fame to the Cinco canciones negras for soprano and orchestra, in which he used rhythms and themes from the music of the Antilles , and especially the Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito . He also wrote music for films and in 1987 was nominated for the Goya for Best Original Music for the film Dragón Rapide .
Further works (selection):
- Sonatina for Ivette (1962)
- Babel (1967)
- Homenaje a Manolo Hugué (1971)
- Serenata a Lydia de Cadaqués (1971)
- Reflection obertura (1975)
- Concert capriccio (1975) for harp and orchestra
- Fantasía (1985) for harp and guitar
- Babel 46 (premiered in 2002)
Filmography
- 1958: Bloody Rhapsody (Rapsodia de sangre)
- 1959: Diego the Outlaw (Diego Corrientes)
- 1968: España otra vez
- 1976: The long vacation of 36 (Las largas vacaciones del 36)
- 1986: Dragón Rapide
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montsalvatge, Xavier |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Montsalvatge i Bassols, Xavier (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 11, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Girona |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 7, 2002 |
| Place of death | Barcelona |