Joaquín Valverde Sanjuán
Encyclopedia
Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán (2 January 18754 November 1918) was a Spanish composer of zarzuela
s. He was the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán
, also a zarzuela composer, and was usually called Quinito Valverde to distinguish him from his father. In his day he was referred to as the "Tango King", the "Franz Lehár
of Spanish music" and the "Spanish Offenbach
", and his dance tunes were known internationally. Now he is perhaps best known for a short song called "Clavelitos" (Little Carnations), which has been recorded by many sopranos.
on 2 January 1875, the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán
. He studied at the Conservatory and under his father, and showed early promise, writing his first zarzuela
Con las de Caín at the age of 15. He wrote some works alone (La mulata, La galerna o El mirlo blanco, Caretas y capuchones), but, like his father, his best work came in collaborations
with other composers. These included Tomás López Torregrosa (Los puritanos, 1894); Los cocineros (1896); El pobre diablo, 1897; El primer reserva, 1897; Los chicos de la escuela, 1903; El terrible Pérez, 1903; El pobre Valbuena, 1904; El pudín negro de Stornoway, 1904, partly based on Sir Walter Scott
's novel The Black Dwarf
), Ramón Estellés (La marcha de Cádiz, 1896); Rafael Calleja (El iluso Cañizares, 1905); José Serrano
(El perro chico, 1905; El iluso Cañizares, 1905; El pollo tejada, 1906; El amigo Melquíades, 1914; El príncipe carnaval, 1914); José Padilla (Los viejos Verdes, 1909); and others.
After his father's death in 1910, Quinito Valverde moved to Paris
. He had great success there, and was also successful on Broadway
in New York
, where A Night in Spain and The Land of Joy were staged in 1917-18. The Land of Joy was otherwise known as La Tierra de la Alegría. Every major English-language newspaper in New York published rave reviews. It included some American actors, whose purpose was to supply some English dialogue in an otherwise Spanish-language production. The central figure was the dancer Antonia Mercé y Luque, "La Argentina"
, who had appeared in Valverde revues in 1910 in Paris.
Quinito Valverde was also well known for a popular song called "Clavelitos" (Little Carnations) with words by José Juan Cadenas, which has been sung and recorded by performers as diverse as Conchita Supervía
, Lucrezia Bori
, Amelita Galli-Curci
, Rosa Ponselle
, Antonina Nezhdanova
, Victoria de los Ángeles
, and Florence Foster Jenkins
.
He died in Mexico City
on 4 November 1918 after an accident, while touring there. He was aged only 43.
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
s. He was the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán
Joaquín Valverde Durán
Joaquín Valverde Durán was a Spanish composer, conductor and flautist. As a composer he is known for his collaborations with other composers on zarzuelas...
, also a zarzuela composer, and was usually called Quinito Valverde to distinguish him from his father. In his day he was referred to as the "Tango King", the "Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
of Spanish music" and the "Spanish Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
", and his dance tunes were known internationally. Now he is perhaps best known for a short song called "Clavelitos" (Little Carnations), which has been recorded by many sopranos.
Biography
Joaquín Valverde Sanjuán was born in MadridMadrid
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...
on 2 January 1875, the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán
Joaquín Valverde Durán
Joaquín Valverde Durán was a Spanish composer, conductor and flautist. As a composer he is known for his collaborations with other composers on zarzuelas...
. He studied at the Conservatory and under his father, and showed early promise, writing his first zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
Con las de Caín at the age of 15. He wrote some works alone (La mulata, La galerna o El mirlo blanco, Caretas y capuchones), but, like his father, his best work came in collaborations
Classical music written in collaboration
In classical music, it is relatively rare for a work to be written in collaboration by multiple composers. This contrasts with popular music, where it is common for more than one person to contribute to the music for a song...
with other composers. These included Tomás López Torregrosa (Los puritanos, 1894); Los cocineros (1896); El pobre diablo, 1897; El primer reserva, 1897; Los chicos de la escuela, 1903; El terrible Pérez, 1903; El pobre Valbuena, 1904; El pudín negro de Stornoway, 1904, partly based on Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's novel The Black Dwarf
The Black Dwarf (novel)
Walter Scott's novel The Black Dwarf was part of his Tales of My Landlord, 1st series, published along with Old Mortality on 2 December 1816 by William Blackwood, Edinburgh, and John Murray, London...
), Ramón Estellés (La marcha de Cádiz, 1896); Rafael Calleja (El iluso Cañizares, 1905); José Serrano
José Serrano (composer)
José Serrano Simeón was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas. He was born in Sueca, Valencia, Spain.His most famous works include La dolorosa and La canción del olvido . Serrano’s works tend to be simple popular theater but filled with dramatic emotion...
(El perro chico, 1905; El iluso Cañizares, 1905; El pollo tejada, 1906; El amigo Melquíades, 1914; El príncipe carnaval, 1914); José Padilla (Los viejos Verdes, 1909); and others.
After his father's death in 1910, Quinito Valverde moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He had great success there, and was also successful on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where A Night in Spain and The Land of Joy were staged in 1917-18. The Land of Joy was otherwise known as La Tierra de la Alegría. Every major English-language newspaper in New York published rave reviews. It included some American actors, whose purpose was to supply some English dialogue in an otherwise Spanish-language production. The central figure was the dancer Antonia Mercé y Luque, "La Argentina"
La Argentina
Antonia Mercé y Luque , stage name La Argentina, was a dancer known for her creation of the neoclassical style of Spanish dance as a theatrical art...
, who had appeared in Valverde revues in 1910 in Paris.
Quinito Valverde was also well known for a popular song called "Clavelitos" (Little Carnations) with words by José Juan Cadenas, which has been sung and recorded by performers as diverse as Conchita Supervía
Conchita Supervia
Conchita Supervía was a highly popular Spanish mezzo-soprano singer who appeared in opera in Europe and America and also gave recitals....
, Lucrezia Bori
Lucrezia Bori
Lucrezia Bori was a Spanish operatic singer, a lyric soprano.-Biography:Lucrezia Bori was born in Valencia, Spain. Her real name was Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho and her family were reputed to be descended from the Borgias.Her voice had a unique timbre and transparent quality unlike any...
, Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the best-known coloratura singers of the early 20th century with her gramophone records selling in large numbers.-Early life:...
, Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle
Rosa Ponselle , was an American operatic soprano with a large, opulent voice. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered by music critics to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the past 100 years.-Early life:She was born Rosa Ponzillo on January 22, 1897,...
, Antonina Nezhdanova
Antonina Nezhdanova
Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova was a Russian lyric-coloratura soprano. An outstanding opera singer, she represented the Russian vocal school at its best....
, Victoria de los Ángeles
Victoria de los Ángeles
Victoria de los Ángeles was a Spanish Catalan operatic soprano and recitalist whose career began in the early 1940s and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Her obituary in The Times noted that she must be counted “among the finest singers of the second half...
, and Florence Foster Jenkins
Florence Foster Jenkins
Florence Foster Jenkins was an American amateur operatic soprano who was known, and ridiculed, for her lack of rhythm, pitch, tone, and overall singing ability.-Early years:...
.
He died in 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...
on 4 November 1918 after an accident, while touring there. He was aged only 43.