Federico Mompou
After studying at the conservatory in his hometown of Barcelona,
Federico Mompou went to Paris to study piano under Isidor Philipp at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1911. At this time his main influences were the french impressionists, as well as Eric Satie and Gabriel Fauré, whom he had heard as a nine-year-old boy in a concert in Barcelona. The impact of this concert was so profound, inspiring him to become a composer.
in 1914, after the outbreak of World War One, Mompou returned to Barcelona, where he composed his first important works: the "Impresiones intimas", "Cants Màgics" and "Escenas de Ninos". "Pessebres" is a smaller group of pieces also written during this period.
In 1921 Mompou returned to Paris, where his music was already performed in public regularly. Being very shy, he himself used to play his works in private soirees only. Due to a lack of money, Mompou had to find other sources of income, which led him away from music into several business ventures, among which were a confisserie, and even a bell foundry.
In 1937 he stopped composing completely for a few years.
miscellaneous
early and
posthumously published pieces
Festa trista
Les Amigues retornen del camp
Jeux sur la plage
L‘ermita De La Garriga
Impressions Sobre La Vidal D‘un Miner
No1. Primeres Hores Del Matí
Chanson de Berceau
Impressions de Muntanya no. 1 Dasa Del Poble
Impressions de Muntanya no. 2 El repos dins del temple
Impressions de Muntanya no. 3 Pastoral
Camí de Muntanya
Record de la platja (1914)
Estanys de paper de plata
Pensaments
Dos petits preludes
Oració d'ermita (1912)
Il-Lusió (1912)
Dues Arabesques
Arabesque I (1915)
Arabesque II (1915/16)
Camins de sorra
Two versions of La de les campanes.
The first, more like a Cancion, a song,
not too slow, so you can still sing it,
another one, which is more like a landscape of sound.
La de les campanes
La de les campanes, different Version
La del pastor on soundcloud
playlist on soundcloud
Preludi (1912/13)
video
El cami del jardi (1911)
Moderato espressivo (1946)
L'eco (1914)
Ball Pla
video
Tango (1919)
video
Variations sur un thème de Chopin
written between 1938 and 1957
MUSICA CALLADA
“this music has no air or light. It is a weak heart beat, you cannot ask it to reach more than a few inches into space, but it’s mission is to reach the profound depths of our soul and the secret regions of our spirit’s spirit. This music is quiet (callada) because one listens to it within. Contained and reserved. It’s emotion is secret and only becomes sound from resonance under the cold cape of our society.It is my desire that this music, should bring us closer to the warmth of life, and the expression of the human heart, that is always the same and constantly changing.”
Federico Mompou
I. Angelico
video
"Car j’ai vécu de vous attendre,
Et mon coeur n’était que vos pas"
Paul Valéry
III. Placide
video
V.
video
VII. Lento
video
VIII. Semplice
video
IX. Lento
video
XXVII. Lento molto
video
PESSEBRES
written between 1914 and 1917
Cants Màgics
written between 1917 and 1919
IMPRESIONES INTIMAS
written between 1911 and 1914
PRELUDES
written between 1927 and 1960
Energiquement 1927/28
video
Lentement et très expressif 1927/28
video
Semplice
video
CANCIÓNS Y DANZAS
written between 1921and 1962
Canción y Danza II
video
Mompou loved bell sounds, which he had heard in his grandfathers bell foundry as a child, and which he tried to revive with his so called "metallic chords". In the beginning you hear those kind of sounds.
You meet a man in despair, and in the moment of highest pain, he quotes the "b. a. c. h." motif
Canción VI
Danza VI
video
Canción y Danza VII
video
Canción y Danza IX
video
Mompou's Canción y danza X,
based on two melodies by King Alfonso X,
written in the thirteenth century
Canción y Danza X
video