Juan Ruiz Casaux facts for kids
Juan Antonio Ruiz-Casaux y Lopez de Carvajal, also known as Juan Ruiz Casaux (born 23 December 1889 – died 16 January 1972), was a very famous Spanish cellist and teacher. He was one of the "Three Cs" of Spanish cello, alongside Pablo Casals and Gaspar Cassadó.
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Early Life and Musical Start
Juan Ruiz Casaux was born in San Fernando, Cádiz, Spain, in 1889. His father was an admiral and a mathematician. The family usually expected boys to join the navy. However, Juan chose a different path.
In 1904, he entered a music competition in Cadiz. One of the judges was the famous composer Manuel de Falla. Juan had already been learning cello from Salvador Viniegra, a painter who was also a talented amateur cellist. After becoming very good, Juan went to the Madrid Royal Conservatory. There, he studied with Víctor Mirecki Larramat, who later became his father-in-law. Juan won many awards and decided to continue his studies in Paris with André Hekking.
When the First World War began, Juan moved to Lisbon, Portugal. He played many concerts with the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra. He also performed chamber music with other great musicians like José Cubiles and Enrique Fernández Arbós. In 1915, he was the first to play Richard Strauss's Don Quixote in Spain. He even played it again in 1925 with the composer himself leading the orchestra!
Teaching and Chamber Music in Madrid
In 1920, Juan Ruiz Casaux returned to the Madrid Conservatory. He became a senior professor and taught there until he retired in 1962. He wanted to create a special way of playing the cello in Spain. He also worked hard to make chamber music more popular. Chamber music is played by a small group of instruments.
He started several music groups:
- The Hispano-Hungaro Trio
- The Hispano Trio
- The Agrupación Nacionál de Música de Camára (National Chamber Music Organization) in 1940.
His groups played complete sets of string quartets by famous composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. They performed in concerts, schools, universities, and even on international tours.
On 26 November 1934, Juan and his trio performed Joaquín Turina's Piano Trio No. 2 for the first time in Spain. This was broadcast on Radio Madrid. On 28 December 1944, he helped premiere Turina's Musas de Andalucia. The composer played the piano, and a famous singer, Lola Rodríguez Aragón, also performed.
In 1945, to celebrate his 25th year as head of the cello department, four of his students performed Joaquín Rodrigo's Dos piezas caballerescas. This piece was written for a four-piece cello orchestra. In 1951, Juan founded the Spanish Chamber Music Association. He continued to play with this group until 1969. He also composed a few pieces, including "Six Cello Impromptus."
Juan Ruiz Casaux passed away in 1972 at the age of 82.
Bringing Back the Stradivarius Palatinos
Juan Ruiz Casaux played a very important role in bringing back some special instruments to Spain. These were Stradivarius instruments, made by the famous Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari. They were part of a set of five beautiful instruments made in 1696 for Charles IV of Spain. They are known as the Stradivarius Palatinos.
During the Peninsular War, the French took a Stradivarius viola and another instrument from this set. One instrument was lost forever. But the viola eventually ended up with a company called W.E. Hill & Sons in London. For many years, Spain tried to get the viola back. Juan even went with King Alfonso XIII of Spain to London in 1925 to ask for its return.
Finally, in 1950, Juan was able to convince Hill to sell the viola back to Spain. His music group later used this priceless quartet of instruments in concerts at the royal palace and for broadcasts.
Family Life
Juan Ruiz Casaux married Maria Theresa, who was the daughter of his Madrid teacher, Víctor Mirecki Larramat. His sister, Carmen, married Mirecki's son, Alejandro Víctor Mirecki Bach.
His second wife was Julia Bazo-Vivó. They had one child, Mary Ruiz Casaux (born 1936). Mary became a pianist and was the first person in Spain to perform all of Johannes Brahms' piano works.
Awards and Honours
In 1961, Juan Ruiz Casaux inherited the title of Marquess of Atalaya Bermeja. He became the 5th Marquess. His daughter Mary later became the 7th Marquesa.
He received many other honours, including:
- Academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
- Knight of the Order of Carlos III
- French Legion of Honor
- Order of Merit of Italy
- Commander of the Order of Alfonso X the Wise
The composer Jesús Guridi dedicated his 2nd String Quartet (1949) to Juan Antonio Ruiz Casaux.
See also
In Spanish: Juan Ruiz Casaux para niños
