Juan Manén facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Juan Manén
Manén seen by Ramon Casas (MNAC)
Born	(1883-03-14)14 March 1883 Barcelona, Spain
Died	(1971-06-26)26 June 1971 Barcelona, Spain
Occupation	Composer, violinist
Era	20th-century

Juan Manén (also known as Catalan: Joan Manén) was a famous Spanish violinist and composer. He was born in Barcelona on March 14, 1883, and passed away there on June 26, 1971.

Juan was a true musical genius from a very young age. His father showed him off as a child piano star. Later, he learned the violin from Clemente Ibarguren. When he first performed as a violinist, he was so good that people in Germany compared him to the famous Spanish violinist Sarasate.

He also became well-known as a composer, especially in Germany, where he lived for long periods. His musical works include operas like Giovanni di Napoli (1903) and Der Fackeltanz (1909). He also wrote a symphonic poem called Nova Catalonia and at least three violin concertos. A symphonic poem is a piece of orchestral music that tells a story or describes something. Manén also created beautiful short pieces for violin and orchestra. He even finished a violin concerto by the famous composer Beethoven.

The Life of Joan Manén

Joan Manén was born in Barcelona, Catalonia. He was incredibly talented from a very young age. He started learning music (solfège) and piano with his father when he was just three years old. By age seven, he was already playing difficult Chopin concertos in public concerts.

At five, he began studying the violin. He learned both piano and violin very quickly. He became amazing at reading all kinds of music at first sight. In 1890, his father convinced Clemente Ibarguren, a Paris-trained violinist, to teach Joan. Joan learned so fast that by age nine, he performed for the first time in Latin America. In 1892, he gave his first public concerts in Castellón, Spain, playing both piano and violin. People were amazed by his skill.

A newspaper article from 1892 said it was "surprising" to see how easily he played the violin. It praised his clear sound and perfect playing. He made his European debut as a violinist in 1898. People called him a top-level virtuoso, meaning someone with incredible skill. He later went on five world tours, performing for audiences everywhere.

Becoming a Composer

Manén mostly taught himself how to compose music. He started writing music at 13. In 1900, he even led a concert in Barcelona that featured only his own music. His father encouraged him to compose, even though Joan didn't know much about music theory at first. Joan realized he had a natural talent for writing music.

Because his father didn't let him study composition formally, Joan learned by himself. He read many symphonies and operas, playing them on the piano. This helped him understand how music was put together. It's rare to find such a talented self-taught composer in music history.

Early Operas and German Influence

His first opera, Juana de Nápoles, was performed when he was 19. It was well-received at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. He then wrote Acté, and for this and all his later operas, he wrote the story (libretto) himself.

He spent time in Germany and became a big fan of composers like Wagner and Richard Strauss. You can hear their influence in his orchestral music. Strauss's style also affected the way he wrote harmonies in his songs. Manén wrote a lot of music in many different styles. However, he later destroyed or changed most of his early works from before 1907. For example, he almost completely rewrote Acté to make it more complex, calling it Neró i Acté.

Manén also arranged many Spanish and Catalan folk songs and traditional dances like the Sardana. His music usually had a clear key (tonal) and was very melodic (lyrical). He often connected different parts of his pieces with similar musical ideas. He also wrote many articles and a book about the violin. In 1927, he joined the Spanish Academy of Arts. There were even plans to name a new concert hall in Barcelona after him.

In 1930, he started the Barcelona Philharmonic Society. This group was important in Barcelona's music scene and organized many concerts. Manén was a strong and demanding person. He didn't always agree with the government at the time (the Franco regime). This made some people love him and others dislike him. To keep performing his music across the country, he had to make some changes, like using Spanish instead of Catalan in his works.

Joan Manén passed away in 1971 and was buried in the Cementiri de Montjuïc in Barcelona.

Manén as a Composer

First Musical Pieces

Portrait of Joan Manén

Joan Manén's first musical pieces were simple works for violin and piano. These were often "lounge music," meaning they were light and easy to listen to. He wrote them to play at his own concerts. This way, he could show off his skills as both a performer and a composer.

One very popular piece was a violin version of a famous zarzuela (a Spanish musical play) called "El Duo de la Africana." He also wrote a small piece called "Romancita," which was one of his first published works. Over time, his music became more complex. Examples include his four Catalan Caprices and the "Concierto Español" for violin and orchestra. Manén always felt he was learning and improving, which is why he often revised his earlier works.

Developing His Style

In his early works, Manén often used Spanish and Catalan folk tunes. He then developed them using a style that sounded more like Central European music. He loved composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Richard Strauss. This made him enjoy writing longer, more descriptive pieces, similar to what Richard Strauss was doing. In fact, Strauss himself played the piano for some of Manén's works at a concert in Germany in 1900.

As Manén got better at writing for orchestra, his music became more expressive. In operas like Acté (first performed in 1903), he used powerful orchestral music to make the story very dramatic and moving. To reach this level, he first composed several zarzuelas during his teenage years. These experiences, along with his opera "Giovanna di Napoli," helped him create "Acté," which was a very important work for him.

Becoming Well-Known

The opera "Acté" was influenced by German traditions. When it premiered in Barcelona in December 1903, some people found it hard to understand. Manén said he didn't expect the audience to grasp everything at first. He hoped they would connect with the feeling of the music after hearing it more times.

Even though he wasn't always fully appreciated in his home country, Manén became more famous as a composer in Germany. "Acté" was very successful in Dresden (1908), Cologne (1910), and Leipzig (1913). This success boosted his career as a composer. He then wrote major orchestral works like Nova Catalònia, Juventus, and a Suite for violin, piano, and orchestra. These pieces show his unique style: combining skilled orchestration and complex musical ideas (learned from German music) with his own natural, lively, and Mediterranean-inspired creativity.

List of Works

Music Recordings

• 2012: "Obres per a violí i piano 1". Kalina Macuta, violin; Daniel Blanch, piano. Joan Manén Collection Vol. 1
• 2013: "Sardanes per a cobla". Cobla de cambra de Barcelona, conductor: Jordi Molina.
• 2014 "Concert da càmera per a violí i i orquestra nº2 i Concert per a oboè i orquestra". Orquestra Terrassa 48, conductor: Xavier Puig. Violin soloist: Kai Gleusteen. Joan Manén Collection Vol. 2
• 2015 "Obra Coral" Lieder Càmera, conductor Xavier Pastrana. Joan Manén Collection Vol. 3
• 2016 "Obres per a violí i piano 2". Kalina Macuta, violin; Daniel Blanch, piano. Joan Manén Collection, editat per La mà de Guido, LMG2138.
• 2020 Violin Concerto No. 3 Ibérico & Symphony No. 2 Ibérica. Ana María Valderrama, violin. Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Darrell Ang. Naxos 8.574274-75

See also

In Spanish: Juan Manén para niños