José María Usandizaga (31 March 1887–5 October 1915) was a Spanish

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous c ...

composer. A native of San Sebastián, Usandizaga began his musical studies in his hometown before moving to the

Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founde ...

in Paris. There, he was a composition pupil of

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the P ...

, and he took piano lessons from

Gabriel Grovlez Gabriel Marie Grovlez (4 April 1879 – 20 October 1944) was a French composer, conductor, pianist, and music critic. Early life and education Grovlez was born in Lille in 1879. His mother – the child of one of Chopin's students – was his fi ...

. From 1906 he was back in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, where he won success with his works for the stage and a number of other pieces. Usandizaga succumbed to

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

in 1915. Most of Usandizaga's music is based on Basque themes; among his works are several chamber pieces, some rhapsodies, and the

opera Opera is a form of 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 libre ...

s ''

Mendi Mendiyan ''Mendi Mendiyan'' is a 1910 Basque language opera by the Basque composer José María Usandizaga José María Usandizaga (31 March 1887–5 October 1915) was a Spanish Basque composer. A native of San Sebastián, Usandizaga began his ...

'' ("''High in the Mountains''", a Basque language folk opera) and ''

Las golondrinas Las Golondrinas is a territory of Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translat ...

'' (The Swallows), initially a

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 of ...

which was arranged as an opera after the composer's death by his brother).Tomás Marco Spanish Music in the Twentieth Century 1993- p 93 The other two lyric works he left us were zarzuelas . Las golondrinas (1913), one of the best works in the history of the genre, was enthusiastically received, then stumbled, but was finally definitely incorporated into the repertoire A third opera, the lyric drama '' La llama'' ("''The Flame''"), was left incomplete after his death; this, too was completed by his brother.

References

Naxos.com biography
1887 births 1915 deaths Basque classical musicians Basque classical composers People from San Sebastián Schola Cantorum de Paris alumni Spanish classical composers Spanish male classical composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century Spanish musicians Pupils of Vincent d'Indy 20th-century French male musicians {{spain-composer-stub