Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga - "Spanish Mozart"

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga 
(1806-1826)

Arriaga and Mozart

On the day when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would have turned fifty, another very talented musician was born, who, it turned out, had several things in common with the far more famous Austrian composer. It was Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, whom the professors at the Paris Conservatory envisioned a fine music career. Even today, music historians think that this Spanish artist had a great potential, which, due to his untimely death, he was unable to develop.

"Arriaga had an identifiable and original style which, in time, undoubtedly would have become more individual and more recognizably his own."

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga was born on January 27, 1806, exactly five decades after famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The first two baptismal names of these musicians are the same - Mozart was Johannes Chrysostomus, and Arriaga was Juan Crisóstomo. The reasons why Arriaga was nicknamed "Spanish Mozart" were the premature deaths of both composers and the extraordinary talent they both showed from an early age. Therefore, they both belong to the group of child prodigies that have always fascinated the musical world throughout history, with some managing to ascend from that initial glory to the very top of the European music scene, while Arriaga, having died only ten days before he turned twenty, was forgotten after his death. Nor did Wolfgang manage to provide himself with a more stable life, although he worked intensively to achieve it during his short life. 

The Arriaga family

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga was born in the Basque city of Bilbao in a family that was fond of music. That affection came primarily from his father, Juan Simón, who developed a trading business, but nevertheless played organ and spinet. Arriaga's older brother, Ramón Prudencio, played the violin and the guitar, so it was obvious that JJuan Crisóstomo got his first lessons in music within the family circle. By the way, before and after Juan Crisóstomo, the Arriaga family had prominent representatives in society.

Given that his father loved music, he encouraged his extremely talented son, and it is no surprise that at the age of eleven he began composing serious chamber, orchestral and vocal works. His opera The Happy Slaves, written in 1820, was successfully performed in his hometown. Only the overture and a few fragments are preserved from the score of this piece.

Musical life in Bilbao

The city of Bilbao in Arriaga's time was a bustling harbor full of intense trade with the Spanish colonies in America. Because of this, it was often struck by invaders and survived many sieges. Musical life flourished and many musicians, professionals or amateurs, gathered in numerous salons. Among the most visited was the salon of Jose Luis de Torres, a prominent figure of that city, who was originally from Mexico. His salons were frequented by prominent musicians, organists and composers such as Juan Andres Lombida, Manuel Gamarra and Jose Sobejano. Guests included violinist Faust Sanz, Arriaga's teacher, young pianist Louise, the daughter of the host, as well as members of the Arriaga family. In addition to the salons, the Philharmonic Society was also active in Bilbao.

François-Joseph Fetis

Studies in Paris

Arriaga enrolled in the Paris Conservatory in 1821 and was taught harmony and counterpoint by François-Joseph Fetis, while attending violin classes with Pierre Baillot. His professor of composition praised him a lot:

"In less than three months, Arriaga has mastered harmony perfectly, and in two years, all the requirements of counterpoint and fugue. Nature has endowed him with two abilities that are rarely found in one artist: the ability to invent and the talent to fully master all the technical aspects of music."

Two years after he began studying music in Paris, he became the youngest professor in the history of the Conservatory. His professor Fetis entrusted him with teaching harmony, counterpoint and composition. In addition, Arriaga experienced another success - in 1824, the First Book of Quartets was published in Paris. On the cover there is a dedication to his father, who unfortunately never heard these compositions, since they were performed in Bilbao only in the late 19th century. Professor Fetis spoke highly of these Arriaga's works:

"... it is impossible to find something that is more original, elegant or more correctly written ... every time a young composer plays his quartets, he arouses audience admiration."

Shortly after he wrote these string quartets, Arriaga composed another of his masterpieces - Symphony in D major. It seems that it was performed during composer's life, because there are copies of the score with the names of the performers, and it can be concluded that the work was performed by members of the orchestra of the Paris Conservatory. These are the compositions on which his reputation is still based today.

At the end of 1825, he began to become ill due to feverish work that had disrupted his health. He was buried in Paris.

To commemorate the late composer, there is a plaque on the house in Saint-Onoré Street in Paris.

Plaque in honour of Arriaga

There is a theater in Arriaga's hometown that bears his name. It was built in neo-Baroque style in 1890.

Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao