Joaquin Nin-Culmell
Encyclopedia
Joaquín Maria Nin-Culmell (5 September 190814 January 2004) was Cuban
-Spanish
composer
and an internationally known concert pianist, emeritus professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley
.
, Germany
, the youngest child of Cuban
singer Rosa Culmell and pianist-composer Joaquín Nin
. After his parents separated, his mother moved Nin-Culmell, his sister Anaïs
and brother Thorvald, to New York City
, where they lived for nine years.
At age fifteen, Nin-Culmell and his family moved to Europe
where he attended the Schola Cantorum
and the Paris Conservatoire, receiving a first prize in music composition there in 1934. He was a student of Paul Dukas, and also studied in the early 1930s with Manuel de Falla
, Spain's foremost composer, focusing on harmony, counterpoint and fugue, as well as musical composition.
, Vermont
for two years before joining the music department of Williams College
in Williamstown
, Massachusetts
(where Stephen Sondheim
was one of his students). He stayed at Williams for a decade, before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1950.
While at Berkeley
, he conducted the University of California Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a pianist with numerous musical groups in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
In 1952, he performed as soloist in his own Concerto in C major for piano and orchestra with the San Francisco Symphony
, under the direction of Pierre Monteux
, and was the symphony's guest conductor in March 1953.
His compositions include Cuban Folk Songs for mixed chorus, Catalonian Folk Songs for soprano and piano, and Eight Variations on a Theme by Gaspar Sanz for orchestra. Over time, his musical themes shifted from a regional sensibility to the religious. A commission from France
resulted in the Symphony of Mysteries for organ and choir. In 1971, he composed a Mass for St. Mary's Cathedral
in San Francisco.
Throughout his career, Nin-Culmell performed concerts in France
, Italy
, England
, Switzerland
, Cuba
, Spain
and Denmark
, and was a member of many organizations: the International Society for Contemporary Music and the Composers' Forum, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid
(as was his pianist/composer father, Joaquin Nin
), the Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi in Barcelona
, and the French Legion of Honor.
Aside from his musical activities, Nin-Culmell also found time to contribute prefaces to his sister Anaïs Nin
's four-volume Early Diaries.
In 1974, Nin-Culmell retired from UC Berkeley. He continued to compose and perform, as well as mentoring many young artists and writers in the area, including the future Publisher and Managing Editor of the The Environmentalist
, Janet Ritz, whose parents lived across the street from Nin-Culmell.
On Christmas
night, 2003, Nin-Culmell suffered a heart attack
. He died twenty days later, on 14 January 2004, at the age of 95, in Berkeley, California
. He died on the 27th anniversary of the death of his sister Anaïs.
His survivors include his niece, Gayle Nin Rosenkrantz of San Francisco, a nephew, Charles Thorvald Nin of Mexico City
, their children and grandchildren, and the many musicians and composers Nin-Culmell mentored over the years. He was predeceased by his life partner, Theodore Reid.
(Note: This article borrowed from the UC Berkeley press release linked below as a source.)
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
-Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and an internationally known concert pianist, emeritus professor of music at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Early life
Joaquín Nin-Culmell was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the youngest child of Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
singer Rosa Culmell and pianist-composer Joaquín Nin
Joaquin Nin
Joaquín Nin y Castellanos was a Spanish-Cuban pianist and composer.-Biography:Nin studied piano with Moritz Moszkowski and composition at the Schola Cantorum . He toured as a pianist and was known as a composer and arranger of popular Spanish folk music...
. After his parents separated, his mother moved Nin-Culmell, his sister Anaïs
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
and brother Thorvald, to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where they lived for nine years.
At age fifteen, Nin-Culmell and his family moved to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
where he attended the Schola Cantorum
Schola Cantorum
The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private music school 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...
and the Paris Conservatoire, receiving a first prize in music composition there in 1934. He was a student of Paul Dukas, and also studied in the early 1930s with Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla
Manuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
, Spain's foremost composer, focusing on harmony, counterpoint and fugue, as well as musical composition.
Career
In 1939, Nin-Culmell moved to the United States. He taught at Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
for two years before joining the music department of Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Williamstown
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(where Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
was one of his students). He stayed at Williams for a decade, before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1950.
While at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, he conducted the University of California Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a pianist with numerous musical groups in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
In 1952, he performed as soloist in his own Concerto in C major for piano and orchestra with the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, under the direction of Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...
, and was the symphony's guest conductor in March 1953.
His compositions include Cuban Folk Songs for mixed chorus, Catalonian Folk Songs for soprano and piano, and Eight Variations on a Theme by Gaspar Sanz for orchestra. Over time, his musical themes shifted from a regional sensibility to the religious. A commission from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
resulted in the Symphony of Mysteries for organ and choir. In 1971, he composed a Mass for St. Mary's Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, also known locally as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco in San Francisco, California...
in San Francisco.
Throughout his career, Nin-Culmell performed concerts in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and was a member of many organizations: the International Society for Contemporary Music and the Composers' Forum, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(as was his pianist/composer father, Joaquin Nin
Joaquin Nin
Joaquín Nin y Castellanos was a Spanish-Cuban pianist and composer.-Biography:Nin studied piano with Moritz Moszkowski and composition at the Schola Cantorum . He toured as a pianist and was known as a composer and arranger of popular Spanish folk music...
), the Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, and the French Legion of Honor.
Aside from his musical activities, Nin-Culmell also found time to contribute prefaces to his sister Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
's four-volume Early Diaries.
In 1974, Nin-Culmell retired from UC Berkeley. He continued to compose and perform, as well as mentoring many young artists and writers in the area, including the future Publisher and Managing Editor of the The Environmentalist
The Environmentalist
The Environmentalist is a public interest, eco-investigative journalism site that reports on the geopolitics and science of climate change, general politics, sustainable living, business impact and the history of affected regions.-Founding:...
, Janet Ritz, whose parents lived across the street from Nin-Culmell.
Later years
Nin-Culmell continued composing into old age. In Spain, working with the cast for an opera he had written in 2001, he suffered a stroke. The event affected his eyesight and caused him to cut back on his composing and performing schedule.On Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
night, 2003, Nin-Culmell suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He died twenty days later, on 14 January 2004, at the age of 95, in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. He died on the 27th anniversary of the death of his sister Anaïs.
His survivors include his niece, Gayle Nin Rosenkrantz of San Francisco, a nephew, Charles Thorvald Nin of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, their children and grandchildren, and the many musicians and composers Nin-Culmell mentored over the years. He was predeceased by his life partner, Theodore Reid.
(Note: This article borrowed from the UC Berkeley press release linked below as a source.)