Viñes, Ricardo 1875-1943

The Catalan pianist Ricardo Viñes, born February 5, 1875, in Lérida, Spain, was well known for his exceptional technique, his large repertoire, and his affinity for the music of his time. After a period of study with pianist Juan B. Pujol in Barcelona, Viñes went to Paris in 1887. With the exception of his several concert tours throughout Europe and South America, Viñes remained in Paris for most of his life.

From the description of Ricardo Viñes collection of music manuscripts, 1903-1928. (University of Delaware Library). WorldCat record id: 667589765

The Catalan pianist Ricardo Viñes, born February 5, 1875, in Lérida, Spain, was well known for his exceptional technique, his large repertoire, and his affinity for the music of his time. After a period of study with pianist Juan B. Pujol in Barcelona, Viñes went to Paris in 1887. With the exception of his several concert tours throughout Europe and South America, Viñes remained in Paris for most of his life.

Viñes enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied piano with Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot, as well as composition and harmony with Benjamin Godard and Albert Lavignac. Amongst his classmates was the composer Maurice Ravel, with whom Viñes developed a close social and professional relationship. Viñes also became acquainted with composer Claude Debussy and premiered almost every piano work written by the two composers during the first decade of the twentieth century. Viñes became known as a champion of new music, particularly that from the French-Spanish school of his contemporaries. In addition to Ravel and Debussy, he premiered works by Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz, Déodat de Séverac and Erik Satie, as well as later composers Darius Milhaud, Oliver Messiaen, Daniel Lesur, and his most famous student, Francis Poulenc. Many new Russian works were also given first French performances by Viñes.

Two Hommages - one to Satie and one to Séverac - are the best known of Viñes’s few compositions. He contributed several articles on Spanish music to French and Spanish publications, and kept an informative journal covering performance practices of his day. Viñes died April 29, 1943 in Barcelona.

Brody, Elaine. "Viñes, Ricardo," New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan, 1980, v.19, p. 790. Demarquez, Suzanne. Manuel de Falla. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1968. Lockspeiser, Edward. Debussy: his life and mind. London: Cassell, 1965, v.2.

From the guide to the Ricardo Viñes collection of music manuscripts, circa 1903-1928, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)