Alberto Jonás facts for kids
Alberto Jonás (born June 8, 1868, in Madrid; died November 10, 1943, in Philadelphia) was a Spanish pianist, composer, and piano pedagogue (teacher). Even though not a lot is known about his personal life, he was considered an amazing pianist, as skilled as other famous musicians like Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Josef Hofmann. In the 1920s and 1930s, he was also one of the most popular and sought-after piano teachers.
Contents
Early Life and Studies (1868–1886)
Alberto Jonás was born in Madrid, Spain. His parents were German. His musical talent was noticed when he was very young. In 1880, when he was just 12, King Alfonso XII of Spain met him at the Royal Palace of Madrid. People immediately called Jonás a "prodigy," meaning he had extraordinary talent at a young age.
He first studied piano at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. He also learned to play the organ. He graduated when he was 12. For the next six years, he traveled to places like Belgium, England, Germany, and France. His parents wanted him to work in finance, so he studied business. But he also gave some public piano performances. During this time, Jonás became a polyglot, learning to speak French, Russian, German, English, and Spanish very well.
Studying in Brussels (1886–1890)
In 1886, when he was 18, Jonás decided to focus on music. He went to the Brussels Conservatory, even though his parents wanted him to choose a different career. He studied there for four years. His piano teacher was Arthur De Greef, who had been a student of the famous Franz Liszt. Jonás also studied composition.
In 1888, he won the top prize in piano at the Brussels Conservatory. He played pieces by composers like Ignaz Moscheles and Johann Sebastian Bach. He also received an honorable mention in harmony in 1890, the year he graduated.
Learning from a Master (1890–1893)
After graduating from Brussels in 1890, Jonás entered the first international Anton Rubinstein Competition. This competition was held at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He didn't win first prize, but he greatly impressed Anton Rubinstein. Rubinstein immediately invited Jonás to be one of his few special students.
Jonás then studied with Rubinstein in St. Petersburg for three years. He became a well-known pianist and teacher there. He also became friends with other Rubinstein students, including Josef Hofmann and Teresa Carreño. They all thought highly of his piano playing. During this time, he also met Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who became a mentor to him. Paderewski even gave him lessons and encouraged him to continue his music studies. In 1891, Jonás made his debut in Berlin, playing with the Berlin Philharmonic. He received excellent reviews.
Moving to the United States (1893–1904)
In 1893, Alberto Jonás moved to New York. He soon performed at Carnegie Hall with the Symphony Society of New York. He played the Paderewski Concerto. In 1894, he became a professor at the Music School of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Later, he became the President and Director of the Michigan Conservatory of Music in Detroit. He held this position until 1904.
In 1897, he performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also gave concerts in Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. In 1899, he married Elsa von Grave, a German pianist. She had also studied music in Germany.
Life in Berlin and Return to the US (1904–1943)
In 1904, Jonás decided to move back to Europe. He settled in Berlin, Germany, where he became a very respected piano teacher. He taught at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory. He also became friends with other famous musicians and teachers there, like Leopold Godowsky.
When World War I started, he returned to New York, where he stayed. In 1914, he came back to New York with Henrietta Gremmel, an American pianist. They later married. From 1914 until his death in 1943, he lived in a New York apartment. His apartment became a popular place for talented students and pianists from all over the world to visit and learn. Jonás also became a professor at the Combs College of Music in Philadelphia and the Von Ende School of Music in New York. Alberto Jonás passed away on November 10, 1943, in Philadelphia.
Master School of Modern Piano Playing and Virtuosity
While living in New York, Jonás had a unique idea. He started writing to many great musicians and pianists he had met. He asked them to share their ideas about playing the piano for a special book. This book would teach about modern piano playing. The pianists agreed to help. They even wrote their own exercises just for Jonás's book. They also shared their thoughts on technique, using pedals, fingering, practicing, and memorizing music. They even sent photos of themselves and their hands playing to help explain things.
In the early 1920s, he started putting all this information together. He began writing what he called Master School of Modern Piano Playing and Virtuosity. This huge project took him seven years to finish, from 1922 to 1929. What made this book so special was that almost all the greatest living piano players helped create it.
Some of the famous musicians who contributed included Leopold Godowsky, Alfred Cortot, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Josef Lhévinne. The book included more than a thousand examples from piano music to explain different points.
This book was truly amazing because of how much it covered, how original it was, and how clearly it explained things. It was published in seven volumes (parts) by Carl Fischer Music in New York:
- Book I: Finger Exercises
- Book II: Scales
- Book III: Arpeggios (broken chords)
- Book IV: Complete School of Double Notes
- Book V: Octaves, Staccato (short, detached notes), and Chords
- Book VI: The Artistic Use of the Piano Pedals
- Book VII: Exercises for Fingers, Wrists, and Arms Away From the Piano, Phrasing (how to shape musical lines), Embellishments (decorations) in Music
Many famous musicians praised the book. Josef Lhévinne called it "the greatest and most valuable work on the subject." Ferruccio Busoni thought it was "the most monumental work ever written on piano playing." Even Sergei Rachmaninoff mentioned it in some of his letters.
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Jonás para niños
