Albéniz in Leipzig and Brussels: New Data from Conservato ry Records1
Walter Aaron Clark
T HREE DAYS AFTER Isaac Albéniz's dcath, fellow awarded him a grant for study with Franz Rummel and composer Tomás Bretón (1850-1923) rellected thus Louis Brassin at Brussels Conservatory. He continued on a career worthy of a novelist's pen: "lf his life thcre for 1hree years; after another six months with Bras could have been recorded step by step, the book sin, he followed Liszt to Budapest, Weimar, and Rome. would constitute one of the most curious and pleas This is the version of Albéniz's early life adopted ing of its genre."' (ABC, May 21, 1909, pages 4- in the landmark biography by Henri Collet' and by 5). The purpose of this paper is to presem sorne "cu the numerous encyclopedists who echoed Collet. rious and pleasing" documentation recently brought Among the latter, Cambridge University professor to light at Leipzig and Brusscls that permits a re Joh n Brande Trcnd's "Isaac A lbéniz" article in cxamination of the "step by step" chronology of Al Grove's Diclionary, third edition (1927), 1, 54, typi béniz's early years in those cities. fies the outrageously wrong sequence in Albéniz's life According to his younger daughter Laura, born to 1880 that invaded even the most respected in 1890 (who in the last two or so years of his life encyclopedias: servcd as his secretary), Albéniz himsdf supplied in formation for his first biography, Antonio Guerra He began to study music seriously at the Conservatoire at Madrid, and receivcd a pension from the King to enable y Alarcón's Isaac Albéniz, no/as crilico-biográficas him to pursue his studies at Brussels. He worked at com de lan eminenle pianisla (Madrid: Escuela tipográ posilion with Gcvaen and at 1he pianofone wilh Brassin. fica del Hospicio, 1886)-published when the com and subsequently [!) removed to Leipzig to complete his poser was 26 years old. • technical cquipmcnt with Liszt (!), Jadassohn and In this account, Albéniz returned to Europe in 1874 from Rcinecke. Aftcr accompanying Rubins1ein [!) on a tour in a tour of the Americas 1hat 1ook him from Havana to Europe and America, and appearing himself with great San Francisco. The 14-year-old gave concerts in Liver success as a pianist, about 1880, he scttlcd down to teach, pool and London before enrolling a1 Leipzig Conserva first at Barcelona and 1hen al Madrid. tory in the fall of that year. His teachers 1here were Carl An alternate sequcnce of events is proffered in two Reinecke and Salomon Jadassohn. Afler nine months he more recent biographies, thosc by Gabriel Laplane• returned to Madrid, where, on the recommcndation of and André Gauthier.' According to 1his alternate the King's secrclary, Guillermo Morphy.' Alfonso XII
' English translation of a paper read al the 111. Congreso Na formal music training at Madrid, he studied nine months with Fé cional de la Sociedad Española de Musicología in Granada on tis a1 Brussels (1863). Concerning his assocíation' with F. A. May 26, 1990. The Spanish vcrsion will appear in the Proceed Gevaert, see Edgar lstel, "Isaac AlbéniL," Musical Quanerly, xv ongs of the Congress, schedu led for a future issue of the Revista (1929), 120-121. In 1885 he was made a Count by Alfonso Xll. de Musicología. His transcriptions of s1x1eenth-ccntury •ihuela music (les • S1 se pudiera escribir poso a paso su vida, consmwria el libro luthistes espognols du XVI Stécle, ed. by Hugo Riemann and pub uno de los mas curiosos y amenos de esta indo/e. li;hed in Leipzig in 1902) were seminal in that field. ' An ex1rac1 appcarcd in Celebridades Musicales , cditcd by G. ' Albéniz et Granados (Paris: Librairie Félix Alean, 1926). Arteaga y Pereira (Barcelona: Centro Editorial Artístico, 1886). • Albéniz: su vida y su obra, Spanish translation by lkrnabé A reprínt of Guerra y Alarcón 's biography is now a•ailable Herrero and Alberto de Michclena (Barcelona: Editorial Nogucr. (Madrid: Fundación Isaac Albfoiz. 1990). 1958). ' Morphy (1836 1899), himself a composer and musicologist, • AIWniz, Spani;h translation by Felipe Ximénez de Sandoval \pent 1wo years of his childhood in Germany (1844-1846). Aftcr (Madrid: Espasa-Catpe, 1978). 113 114 INTER-AMERICAN MUSIC REVIEI. accounl, Albéniz re1urned from a second 1rip 10 the bcr 17, 1876. 'º In addition to piano he took courses New World in 1876, spenl the winler monlhs of in harmony and solfege. After winning che 1879 1876-1877 in Leipzig, and returned co Spain in lhe piano compe1i1ion in Brassin's class, avec distinc summcr of 1877 before commencing at Brussels, tion, he termina1cd his studies al 1he conserva1ory in where his s1udies !asted un1il 1879. An additional September of 1hat year." six months of s1udy under Brassin in 1880 preceded The brevily of Albéniz's studies in Leipzig and 1he Albéniz's pilgrimage to Budapesl and a brief en date he cn1ered lhe Brussels Conservatory do nol counter with Liszt. coincide with any prcvious chronologies. Why thc On lhe olher hand, documenlalion of Albéniz's discrepancies? In 1891, Albéniz was living in Lon studies al the conserva1ories in both Leipzig and don. Early 1ha1 year, an article appearcd in The Pal/ Brussels thal has survived 1wo world wars compels Mali Gazette" entitled "Señor Albeniz at Home: An our acknowledging a sequence that accords with Intervicw wi1h 1he Spanish Pianist." In this inter neither Collet, Trend, Laplane, nor Gautier. view, Albéniz declares that after spending three years The records in Leipzig' indica1e thal Albéniz en touring in South America, he returned to Spain and rollcd there May 2, 1876, bul discontinued June 24 was granted a stipend from the King with which to of the same year. He took courses in theory and study in Leipzig. He studied for three years in Leip composition, piano, chamber music, and voice. A zig with Reinecke and Jadassohn, and after thal he music teacher at the Thomasschule, Dr. Brautigam,' spent ayear with Liszt in Italy. with whom he resided, at Sebas1ianbachstralle 57, Here is an account of his career al odds with bo1h paid his fees. Nol surprisingly, his knowledge of the documented record and che earliesl Spanish conventional music theory was deerned inadequate language biography. Even Albéniz's own diary stales u pon admission ( "Theoretische Kenntni.fJe fehlen "). thal he was with Liszt only briel1y in Budapesl, in Why did he quit after lcss than two months' in lhe summer of 1880." To the Lcipzig Conservatory struction? lf we may believe Guerra y Alarcón, he authorities he gave 1861 as his year of birth ran out of money. At page 24 of his Ph.D. disser perhaps co make his qualification seem even more cation, "Scyle and Struccure in Iberia by Isaac Al béniz" (University of Rochcster, 1974), Paul Buck Mas1 provided this gratui1ous cxplanation: " According to a "Demande d' Admi\sion" (no. 886) prc served in the records oí the administration of the Conservatoire He studicd for nine months with Salomon Jadassohn and Royal. Car! Reinecke. Albéniz tired quickly of the concentrateJ " More information on Albéniz'• activities in Brussels can be tcchnical study 10 which he was subjected. He finally found in Enrique Fernández Arbós, Arbds(Madrid: Ediciones returned to Spain in 1875. Cid, 1963). Albén1Z's participation in conccrts at the conserva· tory and bis winning oí the 1879 piano competition are men A likelier possibility is tha1 difficuhies with the lan tionecl in the Ann11aire du Conservaro1re Royal de Mus1que de guage discouraged him. According to one profes Br11xelles (Librairie Européenne C. Muquardt, 1878-1880). sor, Car! Piutti, he remained absent from sessions " January 30, 1891, 1- 2. in theory due 10 his insufficient command of Ger ''Isaac Albéni1, Impresiones y Diarios de Viaje, edited by En· rique Franco (Madrid: Fundación Isaac Albéniz. 1990), 24-34. man ( "wegen mangelnder Kenntnis der deurschen Also cited in Michel Raux-Deledicque. Albéniz. su vida inquiera Sprache''). y ardorosa (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Peuser, 1950), 170-179. Albéniz was accepted for study at the Conserva Albéniz's contacts 1 astounding (the correct year is 1860)." He also stated ---. "Albéniz et Joaquim Malats," Revisla Musical that he had been playing the piano since age five Catalana, vr (1909), 377-379. ( "seit 5 Jahren, "which could also mean for a period ---."Isaac Albéniz," in L 'Essor de la Musique es of five years); in fact, he gave his first public con pagnole au XX sii!cle. Paris: Édition Max Eschig, cert when he was only four. He did study brieíly 1929, 50-51. with Jadassohn" at Leipzig. But with Reinecke he Dolmencch Español, M. "Isaac Albéniz," Revisla de studied not at ali. lnstead, he studied piano with Música (Buenos Aires), 11 (1928), 150- 155. Louis Maas" and theory and composition with Carl Dumesnil, Maurice. "Prolific Albéniz," Etude, Lxvn (1949), 408. Piutti," names never mentioned in any biographical account. Fernández Arbós, Enrique. Arbós (memorias de). Madrid: Ediciones Cid, 1963. The implications of this research for future biog Gauthier, André. Albéniz. Spanish translation by Felipe raphers of Albéniz are importan!. Secondary sources Ximénez de Sandoval. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe. 1978. should not continue being blindly quoted without Grew, Sydney. "The Music for Pianoforte of Albéniz," corroboration from primary material. Statements The Chesterian, vr/42 (1924), 43- 48. concerning his early life need to be carefully sifted Heras, Anlonio de las. Vida de Albéniz. Barcelona: Edi and the chronology of his life established, whenever ciones Patria, 1940. possible, from independent sources. In particular, lstel, Edgar. "Isaac Albéniz," translatcd by Frederick H. Albéniz scholars based in the Western Hemisphere Martens, Musical Quarterly, xv ( 1929), 117-148. should retrace his fascinating itineraries and estab Jankélévitch [Yankelcvich], Vtadimir. "Albéniz et J'État lish the concert calendar in the Americas of a prod de Vcrve," in La Rhapsodie: Verve et lmprovisation igy without parallel in Spanish annals. musicale. París: Flammarion, Bibliotheque d'Esthé tique, 1955, 150- 179. Jean-Aubry, Georges. "Isaac Albéniz (1860- 1909)," Mu sical Times, LVIII (1917), 535-538. Biblio~raph) Klein, Herman. "Albéniz's Opera 'Pepita Jiménez'," (Encyclopedia artides omilled) Musical Times, ux (1918), 116-117. Laplane, Gabriel. Albénil•• su vie, son oeu1•re. Preface Albéniz, Isaac. Impresiones y Diarios de Viaje, ediced by by Francis Poulenc. Gencva: Éditions du Milieu du Enrique Franco. Madrid: Fundación Isaac Albéniz, Monde, 1956. Spanish translation by Bernabé Herrero 1990. and Alberto de Michelena. Barcelona: Editorial No Annuaire du Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Brux guer, 1958. elles: Librairie Européenne C. Muquanlt, 1878-1880. Llorens Cisteró, José Maria. "El 'Lied' en la obra mu Arteaga y Pereira, G. Celebridades Musicales. Barcelona: sical de Isaac Albéniz," Anuario Musical, xv (1960), Centro Editorial Artístico, 1886. 123-140. Collet, Henri. Albéni Sopeña lbáñez, Federico. " Isaac Albéniz," in Dos años Villalba Muñoz, Luis. "Isaac Albéniz," in U/timos mú de músico en Europa. Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1942, sicos españoles del siglo XIX. Madrid: l. Alier, 1914, 87-92. 161 -185. Van Vechten, Carl. "Isaac Albéniz," in Excovotions. Villar, Rogelio. "Isaac Albéniz," in Músicos Españoles, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926, 230-254. 1. Madrid: Ediciones "Mateu," 1918, 73-79.