Josep Soler i Sardà (25 March 1935 – 9 October 2022) was a Catalonian/Spanish composer, writer, music theorist, and one of the main Catalan members of the Generación del 51.

Life and career

Soler was born in

Vilafranca del Penedès Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca, is the capital of Alt Penedès county in Penedès, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Penedès Depression on the left bank of the Foix River, and on the main axis of communication from Barcel ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, on 25 March 1935. He studied composition and orchestration with

Cristòfor Taltabull Cristòfor Taltabull (28 July 1888 - 1 May 1964) was a Spanish composer and pedagogue who played a role in the reconstruction of musical life in Catalonia after the Spanish Civil War. Biography Taltabull was born in Barcelona. He came from an educ ...

, and was also a pupil of

René Leibowitz René Leibowitz (; ; 17 February 1913 – 29 August 1972) was a Polish and French composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher. He was historically significant in promoting the music of the Second Viennese School in Paris after the Second Wo ...

in Paris. Soler's works include 16 operas, 7 symphonies, 3 piano concertos, 7 String Quartets, 16 Sonatas for piano and an orchestration of

Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the post-romantic era who also had a significant influence on his con ...

's '' Pepita Jiménez'', inter alia. Since 1982, he taught at the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi (Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Saint George) in Barcelona. His students included Benet Casablancas and Alejandro Civilotti. In 2013, Soler was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. He refused this honour, stating:

"Aceptar el reconocimiento sería aceptar la autoridad del Gobierno español, y yo no quiero saber nada del ministro Wert ni del gobierno de Rajoy, porque a ellos no les interesa en absoluto ni la cultura ni la educación." ("To acknowledge this recognition is to acknowledge the authority of the Spanish government, and I do not want anything to do with minister osé IgnacioWert and the government of rime Minister MarianoRajoy, because they are not interested at all in either culture or education.")

The personal papers of Josep Soler i Sardà are preserved in the

Biblioteca de Catalunya The Library of Catalonia (, ) is the Catalan national library, located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The primary mission of the Library of Catalonia is to collect, preserve, and spread Catalan bibliographic production and that related to the ...

. Soler died on 9 October 2022, at the age of 87.

Bibliography

* LEIBOWITZ, René. "Josep Soler" in CASARES, Emilio (ed.) "14 compositores españoles de hoy", Universidad de Oviedo, 1982, pp. 466–474. * LEWINSKI, W.E. von. "Vier katalanische Komponisten in Barcelona", Melos, nº3, 1971, pp. 93–103. * MEDINA, Ángel. ''Josep Soler. Música de la Pasión'' ICCMU. Madrid, 1998. * SADIE, Stanley. "Josep Soler" in "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera". MacMillan. London, 1992. Doctoral Theses * Bruach Menchen, Agustí. ''Les òperes de Josep Soler''. Autonomous University of Barcelona, 1997. * * Roura, Teodor.''La música vocal de Josep Soler. Escrits teòrics i obra musical''. Autonomous University of Barcelona, 2017.

Essays

* (1980) ''Fuga, técnica e historia'' * (1982) ''La música'' * (1983) ''Victoria'' * (1994) ''Escritos sobre música y dos poemas'' * (1999) ''Otros escritos y poemas'' * (1999) ''Tiempo y Música'' (with Joan Cuscó) * (2003) ''Nuevos escritos y poemas'' * (2004) ''J.S. Bach. Una estructura del dolor'' * (2006) ''Música y Ética'' * (2011) ''Musica Enchiriadis'' * (2014) "Últimos escritos"

Awards

* Prize "

Opera de Montecarlo Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

" (1964); * Prize ''Ciudad de Barcelona'' (1962 and 1978); * " Óscar Esplà" in Music Composition Award (1982); * Premi Nacional de Música de Catalunya (2001); * Premio Nacional de Música (2009); * XI Iberoamerican Prize

Premio Tomás Luis de Victoria The and its twin the are sedans sold in Japan from 2001 to 2021 by Toyota. The sedans are designated as a compact car by Japanese dimension regulations and the exterior dimensions do not change with periodic updates. Unlike Toyota's other ve ...

. (2011) *

Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

. (2013), refused.

References

External links

Information about Soler
(English)

(English)
Essays
(English)
Personal papers of Josep Soler i Sardà in the Biblioteca de Catalunya
(Catalan) * 1935 births 2022 deaths Composers from Catalonia Spanish writers about music Opera composers from Catalonia Spanish opera composers Spanish male opera composers People from Vilafranca del Penedès Spanish classical composers Spanish music theorists {{Spain-composer-stub