Joaquín Rodrigo: Biography and Musical Impact

• Joaquín Rodrigo was a 20th-century Spanish composer
• He composed hundreds of musical pieces for orchestra, piano, and voice
• He is best known for his guitar music
• Rodrigo did not play the guitar himself
• At age three, he contracted diphtheria, which left him blind
• All his musical works were composed in braille

Musician's Biography

• Born in Valencia, Spain in 1901, the youngest of 10 children
• In 1904, at age three, Rodrigo fell ill with diphtheria and lost his sight
• In 1924, at age 23, Rodrigo's first orchestral work, Juglares, was performed in Valencia
• In 1927, Rodrigo moved to Paris and studied at the École Normale de Musique under French composer Paul Dukas
• He met other composers, including Manuel de Falla
• In 1933, Rodrigo married Turkish pianist Victoria Kambi
• In 1935, Rodrigo wrote Sonada de adiós for piano, in memory of his teacher, Paul Dukas, who had died that year
• In 1939, Rodrigo moved back to Spain and settled in Madrid
• In 1940, the world premiere of the Concierto de Aranjuez took place in Barcelona, Spain, bringing Rodrigo worldwide fame
• In 1941, his daughter, Cecilia, was born on January 27, and is Rodrigo's only surviving child
• In 1963, at age 62, Rodrigo was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French government
• Rodrigo died in Madrid in 1999 at the age of 98, and he is buried in the family vault in the cemetery of Aranjuez

Musician's Influences

• Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer, created new ways to look at rhythm and melody in 20th-century music
• Spanish culture, including its history, poetry, and music, inspired Rodrigo's music, echoing with Spanish melody

Concierto de Aranjuez

• Rodrigo is best known for his guitar-orchestra piece, Concierto de Aranjuez
• The work got inspiration from the gardens at the Palace of Aranjuez and the tragic death at birth of his first child
• The music expresses love, longing, and fear, as Rodrigo's wife, Victoria, was gravely ill at the time
• The piece has inspired and rearranged by musicians from other musical styles, like jazz legend Miles Davis

Segovia

• Classical Guitarist Andrés Segovia requested Rodrigo wrote his second most popular work for guitar and orchestra
• "Fantasia Gentleman" Segovia title
• Segovia gave performed "Fantasia Gentleman" first in 1958

Writing Music

• Rodrigo had a piano and a braille machine in a room at home
• He wrote his compositions in braille, then dictated them, note by note, to a copyist, often his wife, Victoria
• Victoria then wrote out each musician's part on sheet music, and the couple reviewed the music carefully before sending it to the printers

Early Music

• In 1877 Thomas Edison made the first recording of a human voice on his newly invented cylinder phonograph
• From gramophone records to today's fifth-generation (5G) technology, this began a wonder of inventions
• The birth of radio provided a springboard for musicians and this continues today with the availability of digital downloads and online streaming

Notable Musicians

• John McCormack (1884-1945), an Irish tenor, made his first recording in 1904 on a cylinder phonograph
• Nora Bayes (1880-1928), an American singer during World War I, performed morale-boosting songs for Allied troops
• Benny Goodman (1909-1986), played Jazz in the 1920s on nationwide radio program
• Bing Crosby (1903-1977), American, developed "Crooner" sound with a new style of microphone

More Recent Artists

• Smokey Robinson (1940-), signed for Motown Records
• Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970), experimented with stereophonic and phasing effects
• Patsy Cline (1932-1963), appeared on Grand Ole Opry Radio from Nashville in 1961
• Adele (1988-), found music success with internet downloads
• BTS (2013-), streaming platform Spotify streamed Dynamite 7.7 million times on the first day of its release

Explore the life and works of Joaquín Rodrigo, focusing on his major compositions and influences. Learn about his musical style, the impact of his personal life on his work, and his relationships with prominent musicians. This lesson covers his key pieces and his enduring legacy in classical guitar music.