Enrique Granados was born in Lérida, Spain, the son of a
Spanish army officer, on July 27, 1867. He received his first music lessons
from an army bandmaster, but later studied piano with Francisco Jurnet in
Barcelona. In 1887, he left his homeland for Paris. Though he was unsuccessful
in entering the prestigious Paris Conservatoire, he nonetheless arranged
private lessons with one of its professors, Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot. Granados
shared a common heritage with Béroit as the latter's mother was the Spanish
soprano and legendary opera singer Maria Malibran.
Granados returned to Barcelona in 1890 and began to
establish himself as both a pianist and a composer. His first compositional
success came with the 1898 premiere of his opera Maria del Carmen. Though the work is largely neglected today, it
drew the attention of Spain's royal family and the composer was awarded the
Order of Carlos III by Queen Maria Cristina. Granados was quick to capitalize
on this success and produced two more operas over the succeeding five years. As
a pianist, he established a rather successful piano trio with Pablo Casals and
the Belgian violinist Mathieu Crickboom.
In 1900, Granados founded the Sociedad de Conciertos Clásicos (Society of Classical Concerts).
The venture, however, was a failure but led him instead to begin his own piano
school which he remained active in until his death. Two years later, he began
what would become his most famous composition, Goyescas. A set of six pieces based on the paintings of Francisco
de Goya, it was not completed until 1911. The work was received
enthusiastically and Granados took further advantage of its success by
expanding it into a one-act opera with the same title in 1914. The outbreak of
World War I across the European continent, however, canceled the opera's
schedule premiere at the Paris Opéra. Thus, the premiere took place at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 28, 1916. It was well received,
but posterity has since favored the original piano suite far more than the
opera.
Though the work was the crowning achievement of his career, Goyescas indirectly led to Granados's
tragic death. With the success of the opera version's premiere, the composer
was invited to perform a recital for President Woodrow Wilson. The recital,
however, forced Granados to miss his scheduled trip
aboard a boat that was to bear him back to Spain. Instead, he returned first to
England and boarded the passenger ferry Sussex
for Dieppe, France. During its voyage, the Sussex
was torpedoed, on March 24, 1916, by a German U-boat as part of Germany's
policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. He made it safely aboard a lifeboat
but tragically drowned in an unsuccessful attempt to save his wife.
Enrique Granados
Biography
Enrique Granados was born in Lérida, Spain, the son of a Spanish army officer, on July 27, 1867. He received his first music lessons from an army bandmaster, but later studied piano with Francisco Jurnet in Barcelona. In 1887, he left his homeland for Paris. Though he was unsuccessful in entering the prestigious Paris Conservatoire, he nonetheless arranged private lessons with one of its professors, Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot. Granados shared a common heritage with Béroit as the latter's mother was the Spanish soprano and legendary opera singer Maria Malibran.
Granados returned to Barcelona in 1890 and began to establish himself as both a pianist and a composer. His first compositional success came with the 1898 premiere of his opera Maria del Carmen. Though the work is largely neglected today, it drew the attention of Spain's royal family and the composer was awarded the Order of Carlos III by Queen Maria Cristina. Granados was quick to capitalize on this success and produced two more operas over the succeeding five years. As a pianist, he established a rather successful piano trio with Pablo Casals and the Belgian violinist Mathieu Crickboom.
In 1900, Granados founded the Sociedad de Conciertos Clásicos (Society of Classical Concerts). The venture, however, was a failure but led him instead to begin his own piano school which he remained active in until his death. Two years later, he began what would become his most famous composition, Goyescas. A set of six pieces based on the paintings of Francisco de Goya, it was not completed until 1911. The work was received enthusiastically and Granados took further advantage of its success by expanding it into a one-act opera with the same title in 1914. The outbreak of World War I across the European continent, however, canceled the opera's schedule premiere at the Paris Opéra. Thus, the premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 28, 1916. It was well received, but posterity has since favored the original piano suite far more than the opera.
Though the work was the crowning achievement of his career, Goyescas indirectly led to Granados's tragic death. With the success of the opera version's premiere, the composer was invited to perform a recital for President Woodrow Wilson. The recital, however, forced Granados to miss his scheduled trip aboard a boat that was to bear him back to Spain. Instead, he returned first to England and boarded the passenger ferry Sussex for Dieppe, France. During its voyage, the Sussex was torpedoed, on March 24, 1916, by a German U-boat as part of Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. He made it safely aboard a lifeboat but tragically drowned in an unsuccessful attempt to save his wife.