Nicanor Zabaleta facts for kids

Nicanor Zabaleta was a famous Spanish harp player.

Nicanor Zabaleta (born January 7, 1907 – died April 1, 1993) was a very famous Spanish harp player. He was known around the world for his amazing talent.

Early Life and Learning the Harp

Nicanor Zabaleta was born in San Sebastián, Spain, on January 7, 1907. When he was seven years old, in 1914, his father bought him a harp. His father loved music, and he found the harp in an antique shop.

Nicanor quickly started taking lessons. His first teachers were Vincenta Tormo de Calvo and Luisa Menarguez. Later, in 1925, he moved to Paris to study even more. There, his teachers were Marcel Tournier and Jacqueline Borot.

Becoming a World-Famous Harpist

In 1926, Nicanor Zabaleta had his first official concert in Paris. He then traveled to the United States. On July 5, 1934, he played his first concert in North America in New York City.

In 1950, while playing a concert in Puerto Rico, he met Graziela. They got married in 1952. After their wedding, they moved back to Spain. From there, Zabaleta started touring all over Europe, sharing his music. Between 1959 and 1962, he even taught a harp class. This was at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

His Music and Collaborations

Nicanor Zabaleta loved to play music from the 1700s. He also performed very old and very new music. Many famous composers wrote special pieces just for him. Some of these composers include Alberto Ginastera, Darius Milhaud, Germaine Tailleferre, and Joaquín Rodrigo.

In 1971, Josef Tal wrote a unique piece for him. It was called "Concerto for Harp and Electronics." Zabaleta performed it for the first time in Munich that same year. It is believed that Zabaleta sold nearly three million music records during his career.

Awards and Later Life

Nicanor Zabaleta received many important awards. In 1982, he was given the Premio Nacional de Música of Spain. This is a very high honor for musicians in Spain. Six years later, in 1988, he became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. This is a famous arts academy.

His very last concert was on June 16, 1992, in Madrid. By then, his health was not very good. Nicanor Zabaleta passed away on April 1, 1993. He died in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

See also

In Spanish: Nicanor Zabaleta para niños