José Ardévol facts for kids

José Ardévol (born March 13, 1911, in Barcelona, Spain – died January 7, 1981, in Havana, Cuba) was an important Cuban composer and conductor. He was originally from Spain but moved to Cuba and became a key figure in Cuban music.

He taught many students and helped shape the sound of Cuban classical music during his time.

A Life in Music

José Ardévol started learning music from his father, Fernando, who was also a musician and conductor. In 1930, when he was 19, he moved to Cuba.

From 1934 to 1952, he was the director of the Chamber Orchestra of Havana. He also worked as a professor in Cuba from 1936 to 1951. He taught at universities in Havana and in the Oriente region.

In 1942, he started a group called Grupo de renovación musical. This group included many of his students. They shared his ideas about how music should be created and what it should sound like.

After 1959, he became the conductor for the orchestra of the government's Ministry of Education. He continued teaching music for many years. From 1965, he was a professor of composition at the Havana Conservatory. Later, in 1968, he also taught at the National School of Music.

Musical Style

Ardévol's early music followed a style called neoclassicism. This style often looked back at older forms of music, like those from the 17th and 18th centuries, but with a modern twist.

Later in his life, he began to explore new ways of composing. He used techniques like aleatory music, where some parts of the music are left to chance. He also used serialism, which is a method of composing using a specific order of notes or sounds.

Some of his vocal pieces, which are songs for singers, expressed support for certain political ideas. They also talked about revolutionary topics and social changes happening in Cuba.

Main Works

Here are some of José Ardévol's important musical pieces:

• 3 symphonies (large musical works for orchestra)
• 2 Cuban suites for orchestra (collections of short pieces inspired by Cuban music)
• Forma, a ballet from 1942 (music for a dance performance)
• La burla de Don Pedro a caballo, for solo singers, a choir, and orchestra, 1943
• Cantos de la Revolución, a vocal work from 1962 (songs about the Cuban Revolution)
• Che comandante, a cantata from 1968 (a vocal work with several movements)
• Lenin, a vocal work from 1970
• Sonata for guitar
• 6 Sonate a 3, a chamber work (music for a small group of instruments)
• 3 piano sonatas (pieces for solo piano)
• Tensiones, for piano left hand (a piece specifically for the left hand on the piano)
• 1933 – "Study in the form of Prelude and Fugue" for percussion ensemble
• 1934 – "Suite" for percussion ensemble
• 1942 – "Preludio a 11" for percussion ensemble

See also

In Spanish: José Ardévol para niños