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José Iturbi Báguena (
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, 28 November 1895
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, 28 June 1980) was a conductor,
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
, harpsichordist and actor from
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
,
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 ...
. He also appeared in several
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
musical films including ''
Thousands Cheer ''Thousands Cheer'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Produced during the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families. P ...
'' (1943), '' Music for Millions'' (1944), '' Anchors Aweigh'' (1945), '' That Midnight Kiss'' (1949), and '' Three Daring Daughters'' (1948), his only leading role.


Biography

Born in Valencia, Spain, Iturbi showed a talent for classical music at an early age, and began musical studies there. He later moved to Paris in order to proceed with his studies with Victor Staub at the
Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...
on a scholarship from the Diputació de Valencia. At this time, he also undertook studies in keyboard technique and interpretation with the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. His worldwide concert tours, beginning around 1912, were very successful. He made his American debut in New York City in 1929. Between 1911 and 1937, Iturbi was the frequent accompanist to the Spanish violinist Manuel Quiroga on his international tours. On June 8, 1937, Iturbi had just said goodbye to the violinist after accompanying him at a concert in New York City when Quiroga was struck and severely injured by a truck in Times Square, which led to the premature end of his career. In 1933, Iturbi made his first appearance as a conductor 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 ...
when presented by impresario Ernesto de Quesada from Conciertos Daniel. In April 1936, Iturbi was injured in the crash and sinking of Pan American Airways' Puerto Rican Clipper in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. After the incident, he said he would not be able to play "for some time", and "I may not be able to conduct again." Later that year, he was named conductor of the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compan ...
in Rochester, New York, serving until 1944. He also led the Valencia Symphony Orchestra for many years. Iturbi often appeared in concert with his sister, Amparo, also a renowned pianist. The liner notes to the two-record box set of ''Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (two-piano arrangements by José and Amparo Iturbi)'' read:
Arranged by José and Amparo Iturbi with the former conducting the
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra The RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, sometimes also known as the Victor Symphony Orchestra, the RCA Victor Salon Orchestra, the RCA Victor Orchestra or the RCA Orchestra, was an American studio orchestra founded in 1940 by the RCA Victor record label ...
as well as playing one of the two solo parts ... The arrangers use the two pianos to thicken resonances and to invigorate what was purely orchestral tissue with the bony brittleness of the piano. ... The Iturbis perform this spirited work in a brilliant virtuoso fashion ...
Iturbi was also a noted harpsichordist and made several short instructional films using the re-emergent early 20th-century French Pleyel et Cie pedaled metal-framed harpsichord made famous by Wanda Landowska. Iturbi appeared as an actor-performer in several
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
film musicals beginning with ''
Thousands Cheer ''Thousands Cheer'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Produced during the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families. P ...
'' (1943) with
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
and in '' Three Daring Daughters'' (1948) starring
Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...
. He usually appeared as himself in these films. He was also featured in '' Anchors Aweigh'', starring
Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...
,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
and
Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...
, as well as in several other MGM pictures. In the biopic about
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
, '' A Song to Remember'', Iturbi's playing was used in the soundtrack in scenes where
Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...
, as Chopin, was playing the piano. In close-up shots, the hands of Ervin Nyiregyházi were shown rather than Iturbi's.


Personal life

Iturbi married María Giner de los Santos in 1916; she died in 1928. They had one child, María. Iturbi's daughter married Stephan Hero, an American concert violinist who had been one of her father's protégés in 1936. They had two daughters, Maria Antonia and Maria Theresa, then separated in 1939. María Hero had obtained legal custody of the children in her 1941 divorce; her former husband had them for three months of each year. In 1943, Iturbi took his daughter to court for custody of the girls, calling her unfit, according to ''The New York Times.'' In 1946, at age 28, Iturbi's daughter died by suicide. Hero absconded with his daughters while Iturbi was on a European concert tour in 1947. After a court battle of several months, Iturbi and his former son-in-law ultimately resolved their differences, and the girls remained with their father. Iturbi's companion for many years was Marion Seabury, his secretary, who survived him and founded the José Iturbi Foundation after his death.


Death

José Iturbi continued his public performances until March, 1980 when he was ordered by his doctors to take a sabbatical for health reasons. Five days after being admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital for heart problems, he died on June 28, 1980 at the age of 84.


Legacy

Two music competitions have been established in Iturbi's name: * the Valencia International Piano Competition Prize Iturbi commenced in 1981 and is often known as the José Iturbi International Piano Competition. * the José Iturbi International Music Competition commenced in 2007 and awards prizes for pianists and opera singers. The Philharmonic Concert Hall in Valencia is named after Jose Iturbi.


In popular culture

Iturbi is referenced in
Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (; March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophical ...
's bestselling '' Portnoy's Complaint'', where the women in Portnoy's neighborhood call a talented young pianist "José Iturbi the Second". The pianist kills himself because of his overpowering mother and thus becomes a memento to the protagonist, who also has to deal with a dominant mother.
Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
honored Iturbi with a moment of colloquial humor in '' Suttree'', his semi-autobiographical novel published in 1979. Conversing with his Aunt Martha on the topic of dogs once owned between himself and his ancestors, he proclaimed "We had one named Jose Iturbi. Because it was the peeinest dog." One episode of the 1940s radio sitcom ''
Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' was an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio sho ...
'' featured Iturbi unexpectedly getting a piano lesson from Andy Brown (who received a certificate from a correspondence school) and George "Kingfish" Stevens.


References


External links

* *
joseiturbi.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iturbi, Jose 1895 births 1980 deaths Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Musicians from Valencia American people of Basque descent Spanish male conductors (music) Spanish classical pianists Spanish male classical pianists Classical piano duos Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Spanish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Spanish conductors (music) 20th-century Spanish classical pianists 20th-century Spanish male musicians Music directors of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra