Alicia de Larrocha
Biography of Alicia de Larrocha
Alicia de Larrocha was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1923. She started studying piano at an early age stating, “Playing the piano was a form of play, meaning more to me than playing with dolls.” Initially she studied with her aunt, but, at three years old, was accepted by Frank Marshall as a student after demonstrating her talent.
De Larrocha gave her first public performance at the age of five in Barcelona in the International Exposition. She had her orchestral debut at age 11. Marshall played a crucial role in De Larrocha’s life. He was a disciple of the Spanish composer Enrique Granados and continued his Maestro’s teachings at the Marshall Academy.
De Larrocha the Pianist
De Larrocha never believed in following the standardized path of competitions and was able to develop a career as a concert pianist without following the typical route.
Alicia de Larrocha was a remarkable pianist. Despite having small hands, she performed a wide range of repertoire, including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. She premiered or revived many works, especially by Spanish composers. These pieces have since become part of the standard piano repertoire.
After the death of Frank Marshall, De Larrocha became the Director of the Marshall Academy, continuing one of the most important piano pedagogy legacies in Spain. She died in 2009 in Barcelona.
De Larrocha the Composer
Alicia de Larrocha wrote multiple pieces between 1930 and 1953, later referred to as “Sins of Youth.” This compilation demonstrates her progression as a composer. She studied composition with Domingo Mas y Serracant, and several of her pieces were revised by Frank Marshall. Marshall was an important figure and a strong influence throughout De Larrocha’s life. She composed a suite of five dances for piano solo dedicated to him.
Although de Larrocha composed several works, she never considered herself a composer. She always thought that her piano compositions were a dare and called them “sins of youth.” During her life, she performed few of her pieces live and only on very rare occasions. The first composition, written in 1934, was a coral arranged for performance by an orchestra. She performed her first piano piece, “Fantasy for Piano,” in 1935. Two years later she played a concert consisting of some of her piano pieces. This performance included a preludio and three small preludes.
Most of her compositions are for piano solos. However, she also wrote compositions for voice and piano, violin and piano, and cello and piano. The names of the some of the pieces were decided after her death by the publisher, family, and people working on the compilation.
The romantic style developed in her compositions are reminiscent of the piano repertoire De Larrocha studied throughout her life. There are evident influences of Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Soler, and Albéniz, among other composers.
Until recently, it was stated that the last public performance of one of her pieces took place around 1940. However, several years ago it was discovered that the piece “Festívola” premiered at Hunter College in New York on October 3, 1970. De Larrocha called this work “Danza- a Sin of Youth.” The score is a transcript of this recording. Unfortunately, the manuscript couldn’t be found.