José Kessels (31 October 1856 – 10 February 1928), born Pieter Jozef Frans Kessels, was a Dutch musician and composer who settled and worked in El Salvador. He is known for having been the teacher of various Salvadoran composers, notably

David Granadino David Granadino (June 13, 1876 – August 22, 1933) was a Salvadoran composer and musician, one of the most celebrated of the country. Granadino was born on June 13, 1876 in Barrio de Santa Barbara in the Salvadoran city of Santa Ana, the so ...

. A memorial and park in the central square of Santa Ana,

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

is dedicated to him.

Life and career

Kessels was born on 31 October 1856 to Pieter Jozef Kessels and Maria Catharina Wetzels in Heerlen, Netherlands. He emigrated to Central America and in the city of

Santa Ana, El Salvador Santa Ana () is the second largest city in El Salvador, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 374,830 (2017)) inhabitants and serves both as the c ...

, he married Concepción Morán, a native of Chalchuapa, with whom he had several children. On 4 October 1913, the Sociedad Musical Kessels was founded in the town of Concepción de Ataco with the objective of promoting its members advancement in musical art through the establishment of studies under the direction of a competent teacher. He would become the composition teacher to Salvadoran composers

and Ciriaco de Jesus Alas. Also in the 1900s, Kessels was the director of the Banda Marcial of Santa Ana, which would often play in the city's parks. He died in Santa Ana on 10 October 1928; he is buried in the Cementerio General Santa Isabel.

Legacy

Salvadoran poet Alfonso Espino, father of poet

Alfredo Espino Alfredo Espino (1900—August 1928) was a poet from El Salvador. Born in Ahuachapán, his only book is ''Jícaras Tristes'' (Sad Vessels), a collection of 96 poems. It is one of the most published books of poetry in El Salvador. Espino died ...

, dedicated two poems (''Monólogo de la música'' and ''Al artista José Kessels en la muerte de su hijo amado'') in his 1919 anthology, ''Mármoles y bronces'', to Kessels. In the 1960s, the Junta de Progreso Local made a monument with Kessels' bust in a park adjacent to the theater of Santa Ana and facing another monument with the bust of his student, David Granadino; this has become one of the emblematic monuments in the city of Santa Ana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessel, Jose Dutch musicians 1856 births 1928 deaths Dutch composers People from Heerlen Dutch emigrants Immigrants to El Salvador