Amadeo Vives

Amadeo Vives (November 18, 1871 – December 1, 1932) was a Spanish musical composer, creator of over a hundred stage works. He is also known by the Catalan form of his name, Amadeu Vives. He is best known for "Doña Francisquita", which Christopher Webber praising its "easy lyricism, fluent orchestration and colourful evocation of 19th Century Madrid—not to mention its memorable vocal and choral writing" characterizes as "without doubt the best known and loved of all his works, one of the few zarzuelas which has 'travelled' abroad" . [http://www.zarzuela.net/com/vives.htm Amadeo Vives] on zarzuela.net, accessed 19 December 2006.]

Biography

A Catalan, Vives was born in Collbató, near Montserrat. He studied in Barcelona under José Ribera, and in 1891 helped found the influential Orféo Catalá choral society, a key element in the Catalan musical renaissance. He then became an early pupil of Felipe Pedrell, a fundamental figure of 20th century Spanish music. He soon moved to Madrid, where he lived the rest of his life, first publishing a series of concert works, solo and much-loved choral songs before turning to the "zarzuelas" on which his fame rests.

Before turning to "zarzuela", Vives wrote a successful Catalan-language stage play, "Jo no sabia que el món era així" ("I didn't know the world was here", 1929) and an ambitious four-act opera "Artús" (1897, Barcelona) based on Sir Walter Scott. A year later, his first "zarzuela", the one-act ("género chico") "La primera del barrio", was produced at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. His next several "zarzuelas" met some critical acclaim—particularly for "Don Lucas del Sigarral" (1899) and "La balada de la luz" (1900)—but his real critical and popular breakthrough came with the one-act "Bohemios" (1904). Vives drew on the same literary source as Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece "La bohème", but his score shows French rather than Italian influences, as well as his own growing individuality.

Soon after, he wrote two one-act "zarzuelas" in collaboration with Gerónimo Giménez: "El húsar de la guardia" (1904) and "La gatita blanca" (1905) both remain in the repertory of "zarzuela" a century later, though other once-popular works, such as "Los viajes de Gulliver" (1911), have faded. Many of his other works continue to be performed: the operetta "La generala" (1912; set in "Oxford and Cambridge"); the pastoral opera "Maruxa" (1914, without spoken parts); "Doña Francisquita" (1923), which Webber characterizes as perhaps the finest of all three-act "género grande" zarzuelas" and "without doubt the best-known and -loved of all Vives' works"; and "La villana" (1927). His last works, the two-act "zarzuelas" "Los flamencos" (1928) and "Noche de verbena" (1929) "have not proved so durable" (Webber); the "comedia lírica" "Talismán" (1932) was a critical success, but a commercial failure. Vives died in Madrid in 1932.

Reputation

Isaac Albéniz once said that if Vives had sought to compose with a universal accent, he could have undoubtedly have been a major international figure. He aspired to become a symphonic composer, but never pursued that ambition. Webber remarks that "Perhaps he simply lacked the confidence to try. His autobiographical book "Sofía" (1923) paints a revealing picture of a nervous figure," suffering from several physical disabilities, and "never entirely satisfied with being 'just' the leading "zarzuelero" of his day."

Operas

*"Artus" (1895)
*"Don Lucas del Cigarral" (1899)
*"La balada de la luz" (1900)
*"Euda d'Uriach" (1900)
*"Bohemios" (1904)
*"El húsar de la guardia" (1904)
*"El arte de ser bonita" (1905)
*"La gatita blanca" (1906)
*"Juegos malabares" (1909)
*"Colomba" (1910)
*"La generala" (1912)
*"El carro del sol" (1911)
*"Maruxa" (1914)
*"La balada de Carnaval" (1919)
*"Doña Francisquita" (1923)
*"La villana" (1927)
*"Talismán" (1932)

References

*Webber, Christopher: "The Zarzuela Companion". London, Scarecrow Press, 2003 "Foreword by Plácido Domingo"
*Christopher Webber, [http://www.zarzuela.net/com/vives.htm Amadeo Vives] on zarzuela.net