Juan Criso?stomo de Arriaga: The Enigmatic "Spanish Mozart"

Abstract

Born into this fertile musical environment in 1806, Arriaga reflects classical as well as romantic elements in his music. For his classical influences, Arriaga paid great attention to the serenity and symmetry of Haydn, while at the same time incorporating the youthful vitality and elegance of Mozart (Figuerido, 44). Like most composers after the classical era, Arriaga also held Beethoven in high regard, admiring the grandness and complexity of his symphonies. From a very young age, Arriaga attended concerts of these composers' works in his hometown and absorbed the diversity of their musical styles. As will become evident in subsequent chapters, this young and talented composer was nurtured in a rich environment and influenced by many factors which helped him develop into the only important Spanish classicist-romanticist of the nineteenth century (Rosen, 29). In Bilbao, under strong family and community orientations to music, Juan Crisostomo began a successful career which, although unexpectedly shortened, earned him a spot in a musical history. [From Introduction]