José Silvestre White Lafitte (17 January 1836, in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

– 12–15 March 1918,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

), also known as Joseph White, was a Cuban-French violinist and composer.

Biography

His father Don Carlos White was Spanish and his mother was Afro-Cuban. After receiving early musical training from his father, who was an amateur violinist, José White gave his first concert in Matanzas on 21 March 1854. He was accompanied by the visiting American pianist-composer

Louis Moreau Gottschalk Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States. Life and car ...

, "who encouraged him to pursue further violin studies in Paris and raised money for him to travel there". José White studied at the Paris Conservatory, initially with

Jean-Delphin Alard Jean-Delphin Alard (8 March 181522 February 1888) was a French violinist, composer, and teacher. He was the son-in-law of Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, and had Pablo de Sarasate amongst his students. Biography Alard was born in Bayonne, the son of an ...

, between the years 1855 and 1871, winning the 1856 First Grand Prize. He became a French citizen in 1870, and was highly praised by

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

. From 1877 to 1889 White was director of the Imperial Conservatory in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, where he served as court musician for the

Emperor Pedro II Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Empe ...

. Afterwards he returned to Paris to spend the rest of his days. The famous 1737 "Swansong" Stradivari was his instrument.

Compositions

Mainly written for his own instrument, White's output comprised some 30 works, including a virtuosic Violin Concerto in F# Minor, recorded in 1975 by

Aaron Rosand Aaron Rosand (born Aaron Rosen; March 15, 1927 – July 9, 2019) was an American violinist. Life and career Born in Hammond, Indiana, he studied with Leon Sametini at the Chicago Musical College and with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institu ...

and in 1997 by Rachel Barton Pine. Other works include ''La Bella Cubana'' (a habanera for two violins and orchestra), ''La Jota Aragonesa'' (Op.5), and several sets of violin Études, of which Josephine Wright wrote:

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070221123310/http://www.concentric.net/%7Erwam/JWSQFlyer.pdf
José Silvestre White, Afro-Cuban Composer, Violinist & Professor
at AfriClassical.com * 1836 births 1918 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical violinists 19th-century male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century male musicians Contradanza Cuban classical composers Cuban violinists Cuban people of Spanish descent Male classical violinists Conservatoire de Paris alumni Pupils of Lambert Massart People from Matanzas {{Cuba-composer-stub