Joaquín Valverde Durán (27 February 1846 in

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

– 17 March 1910 in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

) was a Spanish composer, conductor and

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

. As a composer he is known for his collaborations on

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...

s (he has been described as "the collaborative musician ''par excellence''"). He was also the father of Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán, who achieved a greater level of fame. He studied at the Madrid Conservatory under

José Aranguren José Aranguren (1875 – 22 April 1939) was a Republican general during the Spanish Civil War. From Ferrol, he commanded the Guardia Civil. After the Nationalist victory, he was court-martialed and sentenced to death, being executed by ...

(harmony), Pedro Sarmiento (flute) and

Emilio Arrieta Juan Pascual Antonio Arrieta Corera (20 October 1821 – 11 February 1894), also known as Emilio Arrieta, was a Spanish composer. Arrieta was born in Puente la Reina, Navarre. His Italian musical training led him, under the favour of Queen ...

(composition).Zarzuela.net
/ref> He was a brilliant flautist, playing in military bands and theatre orchestras from the age of 13, and winning first prize in flute at the Conservatory in 1867. He won the composition prize in 1870. He wrote two manuals for flautists (1874; ''La flauta: su historia, su estudia'', 1886Don Michael Randel, ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''
/ref>). Between 1871 and 1889 he was a professional theatre conductor. His first symphony ''Batylo'' was written in 1871. His reputation as a composer was made, however, with a series of

s (light

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s), written in collaboration with

Federico Chueca Pío Estanislao Federico Chueca y Robres (5 May 1846 – 20 June 1908) was a Spanish composer of ''zarzuelas'' and author of ''La gran vía'' along with Joaquín Valverde Durán in 1886. He was one of the most prominent figures of the género c ...

. It appears that Chueca provided most of the melodies and Valverde provided the orchestral polish. They worked together on ''Un maestro de obra prima'' (1877), ''La Canción de la Lola'' (1880), ''Luces y sombras'' and ''Fiesta Nacional'' (both 1882), ''Cádiz'' (1886), ''El año pasado por agua'' (1889), and other operas. Their masterpiece was ''La gran vía'' (Madrid, 2 July 1886), which was played in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, New York, Vienna, and many other theatres in Europe. It was premiered in London in 1906 as ''Castles in Spain''. A march from ''Cádiz'' (originally a hymn to a general, written in 1868 by Chueca alone) proved enormously popular in Spain, and it competed for popularity with the national anthem among the military. Both Valverde and Chueca were awarded the Military Grand Cross. Valverde also collaborated with Manuel Fernández Caballero, Julián Romea,

Ruperto Chapí Ruperto Chapí y Lorente (27 March 1851 – 25 March 1909) was a Spanish composer, and co-founder of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers. Biography Chapí was born at Villena, the son of a loc ...

, Arturo Saco del Valle,

José Rogel José Rogel (24 December 1829 – 25 February 1901) was a Spanish conductor and composer of theatrical works in the zarzuela genre. Life Rogel was born in Orihuela, Alicante, in 1829; he began music under Cascales and Gil, organist and conductor of ...

Tomás Bretón Tomás Bretón y Hernández (29 December 1850 – 2 December 1923) was a Spanish Conducting, conductor and composer. Biography Tomás Bretón was born in Salamanca. He completed his musical studies at the School of Fine Arts in his hometown, w ...

, Tomás López Torregrosa and José Serrano (''La suerte loca'', 1907). Less successful were operas Valverde wrote alone, such as ''La baraja francesa'' (1890). His other works include two symphonies and over 200 other orchestral works.Answers.com
/ref> His son "Quinito" Valverde (Joaquín Valverde Sanjuán) carried on his father's tradition.

References

Vincent J. Cincotta. Zarzuela - The Spanish Lyric Theatre: A Complete Reference (4th ed. revised, 2011). Wollongong, Australia: University of Wollongong Press, pp. 766, , (pp. 48,52-54,58,81-82,341-343)

Sources

* ''

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

'', 5th ed., 1954,

Eric Blom Eric Walter Blom (20 August 188811 April 1959) was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1954). Earl ...

, ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valverdeduran, Joaquin 1846 births 1910 deaths Spanish male opera composers Spanish classical composers Spanish classical flautists Spanish conductors (music) Spanish male conductors (music) Spanish opera composers