- José Iturbi
Infobox musical artist
Name = José Iturbi
Img_capt = photo byCarl Van Vechten , 1933
Background = classical_ensemble
Born = birth date|1895|11|28Valencia, Spain
Died = death date and age|1980|06|28|1895|11|28Los Angeles, California , USA
Instrument =Piano
Genre = Classical
Occupation = Conductor,pianist
Associated_acts =Rochester Philharmonic José Iturbi (
28 November 1895 –28 June 1980 ) was a Spanish conductor andpianist . He appeared in severalHollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the 1943 musical, "Thousands Cheer " and in the 1945 film, "Anchors Aweigh". He was involved in a complex family custody battle in the 1940s that culminated in his former son-in-law kidnapping Iturbi's two granddaughters.Biography
Born in Valencia,
Spain , of Basque descent, Iturbi studied inBarcelona (although some say he studied in Malta, this is not true) and at the Valencia and Paris conservatories on scholarship. His worldwide concert tours, beginning around 1912, were brilliantly successful. He excelled as an interpreter of French as well as Spanish music. He made his American debut inNew York City in 1929. He made his first appearance as a conductor inMexico City in 1933 when presented by donon [Ernesto de Quesada] from Conciertos Daniel. He was also conductor of theRochester Philharmonic Orchestra in upstateNew York from 1936 to 1944. He also led the Valencia Symphony Orchestra for many years. He often appeared in concert with his sister,Amparo Iturbi , who was also a renowned pianist.Iturbi was most renowned in lightweight, showy repertoire, and he left no impression in music that required more depth. He appeared as an actor-performer in several filmed musicals of the 1940s, beginning with 1943's "
Thousands Cheer " forMGM . He usually appeared as himself in these films. He later was featured in MGM's "Anchors Aweigh", which starredGene Kelly andFrank Sinatra , as well as several other MGM movies. In the biopic aboutChopin , "A Song to Remember ", Iturbi's playing was used in the soundtrack in scenes whereCornel Wilde , as Chopin, was playing the piano.Unfortunately, while these films made him very popular during his lifetime, his musical exhibitionism and Hollywood appearances caused many connoisseurs to undervalue him as a serious musician.
Personal life
Iturbi married María Giner de los Santos in 1916; she died in 1928; they had one child, María. His companion for many years was Marion Seabury, his secretary, who survived Iturbi and founded the José Iturbi Foundation after his death.
María Iturbi married Stephan Hero, an American concert violinist who had been one of her father's protégés in 1936; they had two daughters, Maria Antonia and Maria Theresa, before separating in 1939. At age 28, in 1946, Iturbi's daughter committed suicide. [cite journal | date=29 April 1946 | title=Milestones |journal=Time |volume=vol. XLVII |issue=no. 17 |url=http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/printout/0,8816,778660,00.html |accessdate=2007-07-17]
María Hero had obtained legal custody of the children in her 1941 divorce; her former husband had them for three months of each year. In 1943 Iturbi took his daughter to court for custody of the girls, calling her unfit, according to The New York Times.cite web | author= | title=Father 'Abducts' Grandchildren of Jose Iturbi | url=http://1947project.blogspot.com/2005/06/father-abducts-grandchildren-of-jose.html | publisher= | date= | accessdate=2007-07-17] Hero absconded with them while Iturbi was on a European concert tour in 1947. After a court battle, Iturbi and his former son-in-law ultimately resolved their differences, and the girls remained with their father.
José Iturbi continued his public performances into his eighties. Finally he was ordered by his doctors to take a sabbatical in March 1980. He died five days after being admitted to
Cedars-Sinai Hospital for heart problemsJune 28 1980 .Trivia
Cormac McCarthy honored Iturbi with a moment ofcolloquial humor in "Suttree ", his semi-autobiographical novel published in 1979. Conversing with his Aunt Martha on the topic ofdogs once owned between himself and his ancestors, he proclaimed, "We had one named Jose Iturbi. Because it was the peeinest dog." [cite book | last=McCarthy | first=Cormac | coauthors=p. 128 | title=Suttree | location=New York | publisher=Vintage International, Vintage Books| year=1992 | isbn=0679736328]ee also
*
Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition References
External links
*allmusic|41:188195
*imdb name|0411826
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.