Joaquin Homs
Encyclopedia
Joaquim Homs i Oller (21 August 1906–9 September 2003), was a Catalan
Spanish composer.
He was born in Barcelona
, and studied cello until 1922. Afterwards, he self-educated himself in composition before studying on-and-off from 1931 to 1938. From 1930 to 1936 he studied composition with Roberto Gerhard
(Menéndez and Pizà 2001).
His early style was characterized by the use of free counterpoint, already moving towards atonality, and beginning in 1954 he began using twelve-tone technique
. While his style remained loyal to modernism, his later works no longer adhered to strict twelve-note technique (Menéndez and Pizà 2001).
He died at his home in Barcelona at the age of 97.
When asked by the British encyclopedia The World of Music in the mid-1950s what he considered to be his chief works, his answer was:
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
Spanish composer.
He was born 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...
, and studied cello until 1922. Afterwards, he self-educated himself in composition before studying on-and-off from 1931 to 1938. From 1930 to 1936 he studied composition with Roberto Gerhard
Roberto Gerhard
Robert Gerhard i Ottenwaelder was a Catalan Spanish composer and musical scholar and writer, generally known outside Catalonia as Robert Gerhard.-Life:...
(Menéndez and Pizà 2001).
His early style was characterized by the use of free counterpoint, already moving towards atonality, and beginning in 1954 he began using twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
. While his style remained loyal to modernism, his later works no longer adhered to strict twelve-note technique (Menéndez and Pizà 2001).
He died at his home in Barcelona at the age of 97.
When asked by the British encyclopedia The World of Music in the mid-1950s what he considered to be his chief works, his answer was:
- Duet for Flute and Clarinet (1936)
- String Quartet No. 1 (1938)
- Violin sonata (1941)
- Sonata for oboe and bass clarinet (1942)
- Variations on a popular Catalonia theme (1943)
- String Quartets No. 2 (1949) and No. 3 (1950)
- Poem by J. Carner for voice and piano (1935)
- Four psalms for baritone and chamber orchestra (1939)
- Ten choral responses (1943)
- Choral Mass (1943)
- Rhymes for voice and piano (1950)
Sources
- Homs Fornesa, Piedad. 1988. Catálogo de obras de Joaquín Homs. Madrid: Fundación Juan March. ISBN 8470753908.
- Menéndez Aleyxandre, A., and Antoni Pizà. 2001. "Homs (Oller), Joaquim." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers. - Temprano, Andrés. 1971. "Panorama actual de la musica religiosa española, VI. Joaquín Homs Oller". Tesoro Sacro Musical 54, no. 617 (April-June): 80–85.