Rodrigo (Vidre), Joaquín
Raymond Calcraft
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.23647
Published in print: 20 January 2001
Published online: 2001
Updated in this version
updated works list, 26 November 2003
(b Sagunto, Nov 22, 1901; d Madrid, July 6, 1999). Spanish composer. Blind from the age of three, he
began his musical education at an early age and took lessons in composition with Francisco Antich in
Valencia. In 1927 he moved to Paris as a pupil of Dukas at the Ecole Normale. After his marriage in
Valencia in 1933 to the Turkish pianist Victoria Kamhi, he returned to Paris for further study at the
Conservatoire and the Sorbonne. He lived and worked in France and Germany during the Spanish Civil
War, and returned finally to Madrid in 1939. Soon after the première in 1940 of his first concerto, the
Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar, he began to be recognized as one of the leading composers in Spain.
Apart from writing a great deal of music during the following years, he was active as an academic and
music critic, writing for several newspapers and publishing articles on a wide range of topics. He also
worked in the music department of Radio Nacional and for the Spanish National Organization for the
Blind (ONCE). In 1947 he was appointed to the Manuel de Falla Chair of Music at Complutense
University, Madrid, created especially for him, and in 1950 he was elected to the Real Academia de
Bellas Artes de S Fernando.
During these and subsequent years he made several tours throughout Spain, Europe, the Americas and
Japan, teaching, giving piano recitals and lectures, and attending concerts and festivals of his own
music. Amongst the most important of these were Argentina (1949), Turkey (1953 and 1972), Japan
(1973), Mexico (1975) and London (1986). Distinctions awarded to Rodrigo included the Gran Cruz de
Alfonso X el Sabio (1953), the Légion d’Honneur (1963), election as a member of the Académie Royale
des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts of Belgium (1978) to the place left vacant on the death of
Benjamin Britten, and honorary doctorates from the University of Salamanca (1964), the University of
Southern California (1982), the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (1988), and the Universities of
Alicante, Madrid (both 1989) and Exeter (1990). A series of concerts and recitals to celebrate his 90th
birthday took place throughout the world during 1991 and 1992. Two significant distinctions of
Rodrigo’s old age were the conferment of the hereditary titles ‘Marqueses de los Jardines de Aranjuez’
on the composer and his wife Victoria by King Juan Carlos I in 1992, and the award of the Premio
Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes in 1996.
During the second half of the 20th century Rodrigo came to occupy a position in Spanish musical life
close to that of Manuel de Falla in the first. Like his mentor, he cultivated a style far removed from the
major currents of European musical development and, as with Falla, his music needs to be judged in
the context of Spain’s classical and traditional music, art and literature. His compositions number
around 170, including 11 concertos, numerous orchestral and choral works, 60 songs, some two dozen
pieces each for piano and guitar, and music for the ballet, theatre and cinema. His published writings
(1999) also demonstrate a remarkable breadth of knowledge of music and the arts. Rodrigo’s music
Page 1 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
attracted favourable attention from both critics and performers from the start of his career, first in
Valencia and Paris and subsequently worldwide. His first two guitar concertos, Concierto de Aranjuez
and Fantasía para un gentilhombre, also achieved remarkable popularity. From the late 1970s onwards,
however, appreciation of his music began to broaden. Wider knowledge of his music demonstrated that
the charge that Rodrigo merely repeated the formula of his first concerto in later ones could no longer
be substantiated, and recordings showed the quality of such works as the symphonic poem Ausencias
de Dulcinea (1948), the Scarlatti-inspired piano suite Cinco sonatas de Castilla (1950–51), the
Invocación y danza for solo guitar, written in homage to Falla (1961), the austere Himnos de los
neófitos de Qumrán (1965), the brilliant Concierto madrigal for two guitars (1966), based on a
Renaissance love-song, or the serenely beautiful Cántico de San Francisco de Asís (1982). Happily the
composer’s 90th birthday was also the occasion for thoughtful and appreciative critical re-evaluations
of Rodrigo’s music.
Rodrigo’s music was fundamentally conservative, ‘neocasticista’, or ‘faithful to a tradition’, to use the
composer’s own words. His first works revealed the influence of composers such as Granados, Ravel
and Stravinsky, but his individual musical voice was soon heard in the songs, piano works and
orchestral pieces composed during the 1920s and 30s. As he matured, his wide knowledge of and
sympathy with the music and culture of earlier times bore fruit. His forms were traditional, but
appropriate for his purposes, and his musical language, drawn from both Classical and nationalist
sources, underpinned a melodic gift of remarkable eloquence. He made many of the finest settings of
classical Spanish poetry, his guitar pieces are in the central repertory, and his concertos are the most
significant such works composed in Spain.
Works
Instrumental
Orchestral
Cançoneta, vn, str, 1923
Juglares, 1923, arr. pf 4 hands, 1923
5 piezas infantiles, 1924
Preludio para un poema a la Alhambra, 1928
3 viejos aires de danza, chbr orch, 1928–9
2 miniaturas andaluzas, str, 1929
Zarabanda lejana y villancico, 1930
Per la flor del lliri blau, 1934, arr. wind; Concierto de Aranjuez, gui, orch, 1939
Page 2 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Homanaje a la Tempranica, rev. 1939
Concierto heroico, pf, orch, 1942
Concierto de estío, vn, orch, 1943
Conc. in modo galante, vc, orch, 1949
Concierto serenata, hp, orch, 1952
Soleriana, 1953
Fantasía para un gentilhombre, gui, orch, 1954
Música para un jardín, 1957
Sones en la Giralda, hp, orch 1963
Concierto madrigal, 2 gui, orch, 1966
Adagio, wind, 1966
Concierto andaluz, 4 gui, orch, 1967
2 danzas españolas, castanets, orch, 1969
Pasodoble para Paco Alcalde, wind, 1975
A la busca del más allá, 1976
Concierto pastoral, fl, orch, 1977
Concierto como un divertimento, vc, orch, 1981
Concierto para una fiesta, gui, orch, 1982
Palillos y panderetas, 1982
Piano solo
Suite, 1923
2 berceuses, 1923–8
Page 3 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Canción danza, 1925
Bagatela, 1926
Pastoral, 1926
Preludio al gallo mañanero, 1926
5 piezas infantiles, 2 pf, 1928
Air de ballet sur le nom d’une jeune fille, 1930
Serenata española, 1931
Sonada de adiós (Homenaje a Paul Dukas), 1935
5 piezas del siglo XVI, 1938
4 piezas, 1938
Gran marcha de los subsecretarios, 1941
3 danzas de España, 1941
A l’ombre de Torre Bermeja, 1945
4 estampas andaluzas, 1946–54
El álbum de Cecilia, 6 pieces, 1948
5 sonatas de Castilla con toccata a modo de pregón, 1950–51
Aranjuez, ma pensée, 1968, arr. gui, 1968, 1v, gui, 1988 [arr. of 2nd movt of
Concierto de Aranjuez]
Danza de la amapola, pf 4 hands, 1972
Atardecer, pf 4 hands, 1975
Sonatina para dos muñecas, 1977
3 evocaciones, 1981
Preludio de añoranza, 1987
Page 4 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Gui
Zarabanda lejana, 1926
En los trigales, 1938
Por los campos de España, 1939–42
Tiento antiguo, 1947
Bajando de la meseta, 1954
3 piezas españolas, 1954
Entre olivares, 1956
Junto al Generalife, 1959
En tierras de Jerez, 1960
Tonadilla, 2 gui, 1960
Invocación y danza, 1961
3 pequeñas piezas, 1963
Sonata a la española, 1969
Sonata giocosa, 1970
Elogio de la guitarra, 1971
Pájaros de primavera, 1972
2 preludios, 1977
Tríptico, 1978
Un tiempo fue Itálica famosa, 1981
Ecos de Sefarad, 1987
¡Qué buen caminito! (Pequeña fantasía), 1987
Page 5 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Vn
2 esbozos, vn, pf, 1923
Rumaniana, vn, pf, 1943
Capriccio, 1944
onata pimpante, vn, pf, 1966
7 cançons valencianes, vn, pf, 1982
Vc
Siciliana, vc, pf, 1929
2 piezas caballerescas, 8 vc, 1945
Sonata a la breve, vc, pf, 1978
Como una fantasía, 1979
Other
Rincones de España, harm, pf, 1957
Impromptu, hp, 1959
Moto perpetuo, bandoneon, 1960
Aria antigua, fl, pf, 1960, arr. fl, gui, 1960
Preludio y ritornello, hpd, 1979
Serenata al alba del día, fl/vn, gui, 1982
Stage
Pavana real (ballet, V. Kamhi), 1955
Page 6 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
El hijo fingido (zarzuela, after Lope de Vega), 1964
Incid. music
Miedo, 1936
El beso a la Bella Durmiente, 1944
La vida es sueño, 1950
El desdén con el desdén, 1951
La destrucción de Sagunto, 1954
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1955
Tiestes, 1955–6
Edipo Rey, 1957
Sónnica, la cortesana, 1975
Vocal
Ave María, S, fl, 1923
Cantiga (G. Vincente), high v, pf, 1925
Romance de la infantina de Francia (anon.), high v, pf, 1928
Serranilla (M. de Santillana), high v, orch/pf, 1928
Jo tinc un burro, chorus, 1933
Barcarola (V. Kamhi), high v, pf, 1934
Canço del Teuladi (T. Llorente), 1v, pf, 1934
Cántico de la esposa, 1v, pf/orch, 1934
Esta niña se ileva la flor (F. de Figueroa), 1v, pf, 1934
Page 7 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Estribillo (S.J.P. de Medina), 1v, pf, 1934
Soneto (J.B. de Mesa), 1v, pf, 1934
Coplas del pastor enamorado (L. de Vega), 1v, pf/gui, 1935
Fino cristal (C.R. Pinto), 1v, pf, 1935
Canticel (Trovadoresca) (J. Carner, after G. Diego), S, pf, 1935
Tríptic de Mossèn Cinto, 1v, orch, 1935
Canción del cucú (Kamhi), 1v, pf, 1937
Canción del grumete (anon.), 1v, pf, 1938
4 cançons en llengua catalana (Llorente, Garner, J. Massó I Ventós, J. Guash), S, orch,
1946
Romance del Comendador de Ocaña (de Vega, arr. J. de Entrambasaguas), S, chbr
orch, 1947, arr. S, pf, 1948
Ausencias de Dulcinea, Bar, 4 S, orch, 1948
4 madrigales amatorios, 1v, pf/orch, 1948
Primavera (G. Fernández Shaw), S, pf, 1950
Romancillo (Por mayo era, por mayo) (anon.), 1v, pf, 1950
Triste estaba el Rey David (anon.), chorus, 1950
2 canciones sefardíes del siglo XVI (anon., arr. Kamhi), chorus, 1951
Diez canciones españolas, 1v, pf, 1951
¡Un home, San Antonio! (R. de Castro), 1v, pf, 1951
3 canciones españolas (folk text, arr. Kamhi), 1v, pf, 1951
A la chiribirivuela (anon., arr. Kamhi), chorus, 1952
A la clavelina, S, children’s chorus, gui ad lib., 1952
Duérmete, niño (Kamhi), S, Bar, chbr orch/pf, 1952
Page 8 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
La espera (Kamhi), S, chbr orch/pf, 1952
Retablo de Navidad (Kamhi; de Vega; anon., arr. Kamhi), S, Bar, chorus, chbr orch,
1952
3 villancicos, 1v, pf/gui, 1952
Música para un códice salmantino, Bar, SATB, orch, 1953
Ave María, chorus, 1954
Romance de Durandarte (anon., arr. Kamhi), 1v, gui, 1955
Folias canarias (folk text), 1v, gui, 1958
2 poemas de Juan Ramón Jiménez, 1v, pf r hand/fl, 1959
La Azucena de Quito (orat., J.M. Valverde), S, chorus, orch, 1960
La grotte (L. Emié), 1v, pf, 1962
Cánticos nupciales, 3 S, org, 1963
6 arias de ‘El hijo fingido’ (de Vega), 1v, pf, 1963
Cantos de amor y de guerra, 1v, orch, 1965
4 canciones sefardíes, 1v, pf, 1965
Himnos de los neófitos de Qumrán, 3 S, TB, orch, 1965
Rosaliana, 1v, orch, 1965
Sobre el cupey (L.H. Aquino), 1v, pf, 1965
Aranjuez, mon amour (G. Bontempelli), 1v, pf, 1967, after Conc. de Aranjuez; En
Aranjuez con tu amor (A. García Segura), 1v, pf, 1968, after Conc. de Aranjuez; Con
Antonio Machado, 1v, pf, 1971
2 canciones para cantar a los niños (anon., arr. Kamhi), 1v, pf, 1973
Líricas castellanas, 1v, 3 insts, 1980
Cántico de San Francisco de Asís, SATB, orch, 1982
Page 9 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
Árbol (F. de Calderón), 1v, pf, 1987
¿Por qué te Ilamaré? (de Calderón), 1v, pf, 1987
Aranjuez, ma pensée (Kamhi), 1v, gui, 1988, after Conc. de Aranjuez
Bibliography
G. Chase : The Music of Spain (New York, 1941, 2/1959; Sp. trans., 1943, rev. 2/1981 by E.
Franco and T. Marco)
F. Sopeña : Joaquín Rodrigo (Madrid, 1946, 2/1970)
F. Sopeña : Historia da la música española contemporánea (Madrid, 1958, 2/1976)
A. Iglesias : Joaquín Rodrigo: su obra para piano (Madrid, 1965, 2/1996)
J.M. Gironella : 100 españoles y Dios (Barcelona, 1969)
M.G. Santos : Españoles universales (Madrid, 1969)
M. Veyrat : Hablando de España en voz alta (Madrid, 1972)
A. Fernández-Cid : La música española en el siglo XX (Madrid, 1973)
V. Vayá Pla : Joaquín Rodrigo: su vida y su obra (Madrid, 1977)
J. Climent : Historia de la música contemporánea valenciana (Valencia, 1978)
F. León Tello : ‘La estética de la música vocal de Joaquín Rodrigo: catorce canciones para canto
y piano’, Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, no.355 (1980), 70–106
T. Marco : Historia de la música española: siglo XX (Madrid, 1983, 2/1989; Eng. trans. 1993 as
Spanish Music in the Twentieth Century)
G. Wade : Joaquín Rodrigo and the Concierto de Aranjuez (Leeds, 1985)
V. Kamhi de Rodrigo : De la mano de Joaquín Rodrigo: historia de nuestra vida (Madrid, 1986;
Eng. trans., 1992 as Hand in Hand with Joaquín Rodrigo: my Life at the Maestro’s Side)
W. Moser : ‘Aranjuez und die Folgen: Leben und Werk des Komponisten Joaquín Rodrigo’, Gitarre
& Laute, 9 (1987), 21–6
R.P. Calcraft, ed.: Catálogo general de obras de Joaquín Rodrigo (Madrid, 1990, 4/2000)
Joaquín Rodrigo 90 aniversario, ed. Sociedad General de Autores de España (Madrid, 1991; Eng.
trans. 1992) [incl. catalogue of works]
J. Arnau Amo : La obra de Joaquín Rodrigo (Valencia, 1992)
G. Wade : Distant Sarabandes: the Solo Guitar Music of Joaquín Rodrigo (Leeds, 1996)
Page 10 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
A. Iglesias, ed.: Escritos de Joaquín Rodrigo (Madrid, 1999)
E. Moyano Zamora : Concierto de una vida: memorias del Maestro Rodrigo (Madrid, 1999)
Page 11 of 11
Printed from Grove Music Online. Grove is a registered trademark. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an
individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy).
Subscriber: Universidad Internacional de Valencia; date: 29 November 2020
