Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán (2 January 18754 November 1918) was a Spanish composer of

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 was the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán, also a zarzuela composer, and was usually called Quinito Valverde to distinguish him from his father. In his day he was referred to as the "Tango King", the "

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

of Spanish music" and the "Spanish Offenbach", and his dance tunes were known internationally. Now he is perhaps best known for a short song called "Clavelitos" (''Little Carnations''), which has been recorded by many sopranos.

Biography

Joaquín Valverde Sanjuán was born 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 ...

on 2 January 1875, the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán. He studied at the Conservatory and under his father, and showed early promise, writing his first

''Con las de Caín'' at the age of 15. He wrote some works alone (''La mulata'', ''La galerna o El mirlo blanco'', ''Caretas y capuchones''),EPdLP
/ref> but, like his father, his best work came in collaborations with other composers. These included Tomás López Torregrosa (''Los puritanos'', 1894); ''Los cocineros'' (1896); ''El pobre diablo'', 1897; ''El primer reserva'', 1897; ''Los chicos de la escuela'', 1903; ''El terrible Pérez'', 1903; ''El pobre Valbuena'', 1904; ''El pudín negro de Stornoway'', 1904, partly based on Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

's novel '' The Black Dwarf''), Ramón Estellés (''La marcha de Cádiz'', 1896); Rafael Calleja (''El iluso Cañizares'', 1905); José Serrano (''El perro chico'', 1905; ''El iluso Cañizares'', 1905; ''El pollo tejada'', 1906; ''El amigo Melquíades'', 1914; ''El príncipe carnaval'', 1914); José Padilla (''Los viejos Verdes'', 1909); and others. After his father's death in 1910, Quinito Valverde moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He had great success there, and was also successful on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where ''A Night in Spain'' and ''The Land of Joy'' were staged in 1917-18. ''The Land of Joy'' was otherwise known as ''La Tierra de la Alegría''. Every major English-language newspaper in New York published rave reviews. It included some American actors, whose purpose was to supply some English dialogue in an otherwise Spanish-language production. The central figure was the dancer Antonia Mercé y Luque, "La Argentina", who had appeared in Valverde revues in 1910 in Paris.Ninotchka Bennahum: Antonia Mercé, "La Argentina": Flamenco and the Spanish Avant-Garde
/ref> Quinito Valverde was also well known for a popular song called "Clavelitos" (''Little Carnations'') with words by José Juan Cadenas, which has been sung and recorded by performers as diverse as Conchita Supervía,

Lucrezia Bori Lucrezia Bori (24 December 1887 – 14 May 1960) was a Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano and a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Opera. Biography Lucrezia Bori was born on 24 December 1887, in Valencia, Spain. Her real name was Lucre ...

Amelita Galli-Curci Amelita Galli-Curci (18 November 1882 – 26 November 1963) was an Italian lyric coloratura soprano. She was one of the most famous operatic singers of the 20th century and a popular recording artist, with her records selling in large numbe ...

Rosa Ponselle Rosa Ponzillo, known as Rosa Ponselle (January 22, 1897 – May 25, 1981) was an American operatic dramatic soprano. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the ...

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, María de los Ángeles Morales,

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. ...

, and

Florence Foster Jenkins Florence Foster Jenkins (born Narcissa Florence Foster; July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944) was an American socialite and amateur coloratura soprano who became known, and mocked, for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor sing ...

.ArkivMusik
/ref> He died in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

on 4 November 1918 after an accident, while touring there. He was aged only 43.

References

Sources

zarzuela net: Joaquín “Quinito” Valverde Sanjuán

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valverdesanjuan, Joaquin 1875 births 1918 deaths Spanish opera composers Spanish male opera composers Spanish classical composers