Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio de Arriaga y Balzola
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Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga
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| Born | 27 January 1806 Bilbao, Spain
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| Died | 17 January 1826 (aged 19) Paris, France
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| Occupation | Composer |
| Parent(s) | Juan Simón de Arriaga |
Juan Crisóstomo Jacobo Antonio de Arriaga y Balzola (born January 27, 1806 – died January 17, 1826) was a talented Basque composer from Spain. People called him "the Spanish Mozart" after he died. This was because, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he was a child prodigy (someone with amazing talent at a young age). He was also a very skilled composer who passed away when he was still young. They even shared the same birthday, January 27, though 50 years apart!
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A Short but Musical Life
Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga was born in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain. This was on the 50th birthday of Mozart. His father, Juan Simón de Arriaga, and his older brother first taught him music. Juan Simón was musical himself. At 17, he was an organist in a church.
In September 1821, Arriaga's father sent him to Paris. This was encouraged by composer José Sobejano y Ayala. In November, Arriaga began his studies. He learned violin from Pierre Baillot. He studied counterpoint (a way of combining melodies) with Luigi Cherubini. He also learned harmony (how notes sound good together) from François-Joseph Fétis. These lessons took place at the Paris Conservatoire.
Arriaga made a big impression on his teachers. In 1823, Cherubini, who was the director, heard Arriaga's Stabat Mater. He famously asked, "Who wrote this?" When he learned it was Arriaga, he said, "Amazing – you are music itself."
Arriaga soon became a teaching assistant in Fétis's class. Both students and teachers praised his talent. Cherubini called Arriaga's fugue (a type of musical piece) for eight voices "a masterpiece." Fétis was also very impressed. What amazed his teachers was his use of complex harmonies and counterpoint. He did this with very little formal teaching. Fétis knew Arriaga's opera Los Esclavos Felices ("The Happy Slaves"). He said Arriaga wrote it "without any knowledge whatsoever of harmony." Yet, it contained "wonderful and completely original ideas."
Arriagas father supported him during his four years in Paris. However, his intense studies and quick rise may have affected his health. He died in Paris just ten days before his 20th birthday. He likely died from a lung illness, possibly tuberculosis, or exhaustion. He was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1977, the Spanish Embassy placed a plaque. It marks the house at 314 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. This plaque honors the young composer.
His Musical Works
Arriaga died very young, so not much of his music survives today. But the pieces he did write are very special.
- Opera: Arriaga wrote an opera called Los esclavos felices (The Happy Slaves). He wrote it in 1820 when he was only 14. It was performed in Bilbao. Sadly, only the overture (the opening music) and some small parts remain.
- Symphony: He composed a Symphony in D for Large Orchestra. This symphony uses both D major and D minor sounds.
- String Quartets: At 16, Arriaga wrote three lively string quartets. These were published in 1824. They were the only works published during his lifetime.
- Other Works: Arriaga also wrote other pieces, including:
- An octet called Nada y mucho. This piece was for a string quartet, bass, trumpet, guitar, and piano.
- Church music: a Mass (now lost), a Stabat Mater, a Salve Regina, and cantatas (like Agar and Erminia).
- Instrumental pieces: a nonet, piano studies, and La Húngara for violin and piano. He also wrote many Romances.
Arriaga's music was also used in a special kind of opera called a pasticcio. This opera was named Die arabische Prinzessin. It was based on an old Arabic story. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performed it in 2009.
Why He is Remembered
Arriaga's music is known for being "elegant, accomplished and notable for its harmonic warmth." This is according to the New Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. His best works are his three string quartets. These pieces have Spanish and Basque rhythms and melodies. You can hear this in the fast ending of his first quartet. Also, in the thoughtful slow parts of his second and third quartets.
His musical style is a mix of late Classicism and early Romanticism. This means it sounds a bit like Mozart and also a bit like early Beethoven.
According to Grove, Arriaga's early death was a "sad loss to Basque music." After he died, people didn't know much about his life. So, stories about him were sometimes made up. These stories helped with a growing sense of Basque pride.
Today, we have more information about him. In 1989, Barbara Rosen wrote a book about him. It was called Arriaga, the Forgotten Genius. In 2006, a Spanish music magazine called Scherzo published articles about him. These new sources show that Arriaga's death was a loss not just for Basque culture. It was also a loss for Spanish music and classical music around the world.
Rosen said that Arriaga's music can sound like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Rossini. She believed his unique style would have grown even more. It might have included more Spanish and Basque sounds.
A public theater in his hometown of Bilbao is named after him. It is called the Teatro Arriaga.
Selected Recordings
- O salutaris Hostia. Stabat Mater dolorosa. Air d’Oedipe à Colone. Herminie. Air de Médée. Duo de Ma Tante Aurore. Agar dans le desert. Il Fondamento, Paul Dombrecht. Fuga Libera FUG515 2005
- Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806–1826). The complete string quartets. La Ritirata – Josetxu Obregón. Glossa GCD923102, 2014
See also
In Spanish: Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga para niños
