Carlos Surinach
Encyclopedia
Carlos Surinach (ˈkarɫəs suɾiˈɲak, Barcelona
; Spain
, March 4, 1915 - New Haven, Connecticut
, United States
, November 12, 1997) was a Catalan
Spanish-born composer and conductor.
He was born in Barcelona, where he held conducting posts at the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona
and the Gran Teatre del Liceu. He studied composition with Enrique Morera
at the Barcelona Conservatory, then went to Germany, where he studied in Berlin
with Max Trapp
, and also with Richard Strauss
, taking five of Strauss's seminars. In 1948 his opera
El mozo que caso con mujer brava premiered in Barcelona
. In 1951, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a successful composer for the dance. He became a U.S. citizen in 1959. He composed three ballet scores for the renowned choreographer Martha Graham
: Embattled Garden (1958), Acrobats of God (1960) and The Owl and the Pussycat (1978). He also composed for the Joffrey Ballet
(Feast of Ashes).
Surinach also orchestrated part of Isaac Albeniz
's piano suite Iberia
.
His notable students include Louis W. Ballard
.
The BMI Foundation
sponsors The Carlos Surinach Awards and Commissioning Programs, which recognizes talented emerging young musicians for their service to American music and funds the creation of new works by former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards. The program was established by a bequest from Surinach. http://bmifoundation.org/pages/CSurinach.asp
The final "ch" in Surinach's surname is pronounced "k," following ancient Catalan
orthography
(in modern orthography this phoneme is rendered with a "c"). The "ch" ending is commonly found in Catalan surnames, many of which retain this spelling. Also, before Surinach left Spain, his surname was spelled "Suriñach," with a tilde
over the "n". He eventually dropped this tilde, but saw the original spelling used on concert posters whenever he visited Spain.http://www.bruceduffie.com/surinach2.html
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
; Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, March 4, 1915 - New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, November 12, 1997) was a Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
Spanish-born composer and conductor.
He was born in Barcelona, where he held conducting posts at the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona
Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona
The Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Barcelona, Spain.-History:In addition to the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu, founded in 1847 and devoted to opera and ballet, Barcelona has had several symphonic orchestras since 1888...
and the Gran Teatre del Liceu. He studied composition with Enrique Morera
Enrique Morera
Enric Morera i Viura , was a Spanish Catalan musician and composer.Morera was born in Barcelona but moved with his father, a musician, to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1867, studying organ, trumpet, and violin there. He returned in 1883 to Barcelona, studying with Isaac Albeniz and Felipe Pedrell...
at the Barcelona Conservatory, then went to Germany, where he studied in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
with Max Trapp
Max Trapp
Hermann Emil Alfred Max Trapp was a German composer and teacher. A prestigious figure in the Berlin cultural scene during the 1930s, Trapp, amongst others in the Nazi influenced scene, was regularly invited to contribute to concert programs and competitions.Trapp was born in Berlin and attended...
, and also with Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, taking five of Strauss's seminars. In 1948 his opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
El mozo que caso con mujer brava premiered in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. In 1951, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a successful composer for the dance. He became a U.S. citizen in 1959. He composed three ballet scores for the renowned choreographer Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
: Embattled Garden (1958), Acrobats of God (1960) and The Owl and the Pussycat (1978). He also composed for the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
(Feast of Ashes).
Surinach also orchestrated part of Isaac Albeniz
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...
's piano suite Iberia
Iberia (Albéniz)
Iberia is a suite for piano composed between 1905 and 1909 by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. It comprises four books of three pieces each; a complete performance lasts about an hour and a half....
.
His notable students include Louis W. Ballard
Louis W. Ballard
Louis W. Ballard was a Native American composer, educator, author, artist, and journalist.-Life:Ballard, who was of Cherokee, Quapaw, French and Scottish heritage, was born in the Native American community of Devil's Promenade, located near Quapaw, in northeast Oklahoma...
.
The BMI Foundation
BMI Foundation
The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 by executives of Broadcast Music Incorporated for the purpose of "encouraging the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, internships, grants, and commissions." Additionally, the Foundation makes...
sponsors The Carlos Surinach Awards and Commissioning Programs, which recognizes talented emerging young musicians for their service to American music and funds the creation of new works by former winners of the BMI Student Composer Awards. The program was established by a bequest from Surinach. http://bmifoundation.org/pages/CSurinach.asp
The final "ch" in Surinach's surname is pronounced "k," following ancient Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
(in modern orthography this phoneme is rendered with a "c"). The "ch" ending is commonly found in Catalan surnames, many of which retain this spelling. Also, before Surinach left Spain, his surname was spelled "Suriñach," with a tilde
Tilde
The tilde is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character comes from Portuguese and Spanish, from the Latin titulus meaning "title" or "superscription", though the term "tilde" has evolved and now has a different meaning in linguistics....
over the "n". He eventually dropped this tilde, but saw the original spelling used on concert posters whenever he visited Spain.http://www.bruceduffie.com/surinach2.html
Works
- Sinfonietta Flamenca (Symphony No. 3) (1953)
- Fandango (1954)
- Concertino for Piano, Strings and Cymbals (1956)
- Paeans and Dances of Heathen Iberia (1959)
- Symphonic Variations for Orchestra
- Feria Magica Overture
- Ritmo Jondo (1953), ballet
- Embattled Garden (1958), ballet
- Acrobats of God (1960), ballet
- Chronique (1974), ballet
- Concerto for String Orchestra (1978)
- The Owl and the Pussycat (1978), ballet
- Feast of Ashes, ballet
- Piano Concerto (1973)
- Harp Concerto (1978)
- Violin Concerto (1980)
- Melorhythmic Dramas, for orchestra
- Cantata of St. John
- Tres Cantos Berberes
- Three Songs of Spain
- Tientos
- Tres Cantares
- Hollywood Carnival
- Tales from the Flamenco Kingdom (Leyendas Del Reino flamenco) for Children, for Piano
- Sonatina (1959) for solo guitar
- Via Crucis: a cycle of fifteen saetas (1970) for guitar and chorus
- Songs of the Soul (1964), for chorus
- Celebraciones Medievales (1977), for chorus
- Prayers (1973) for solo voice
External links
- Carlos Surinach page from Schirmer site
- Carlos Surinach Commissions page from BMI site
Interviews
- Carlos Surinach interview by Bruce Duffie