Enrique Granados y Campiña (Lérida, 1867 – English Channel, 1916) was the son of a Cuban father and a Galician mother. Since he was a child he revealed his disposition for music in his hometown, so he was taken to the Escolanía de la Merced, in Barcelona, where he received lessons from Juan Pujol (piano) and Felipe Pedrell (harmony). .
He gave his first public concerts at the age of just 10 years old.
In 1887 he went to study in Paris, with C. de Bériot, returning to Barcelona two years later, giving a memorable concert at the Teatro Lírico. In 1892, he would obtain a new triumph as a concert performer and as a composer, when he released his Three First Dances.
As a pianist he was an extraordinary interpreter of Hispanic popular music, which he stylized with his high poetic sense and fine intuition.
He would also be an excellent teacher at the Barcelona music academy, which bears his name.
In 1910, his Goyesca piano compositions would be disseminated in Paris by the pianist Montoriol Tarrés, causing the Société Musicale Independante of France to organize, on April 4, 1914, a concert entirely dedicated to his figure, whose resounding success would constitute the consecration of the young Granados.
As a result of this concert, he was commissioned to convert the Goyescas into an opera, to be performed in Paris; But, since this project could not be carried out, due to the outbreak of the First World War, the New York publisher Schirmer proposed to Granados to represent the work in New York, so he moved to the United States with his wife. .
The performance of Goyescas took place at the Metropolitan in New York on January 28, 1916. His success was so resounding that the president of the United States invited him to perform at the White House.
From here he embarked for England on the ocean liner Sussex, which would be torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine, killing Granados and his wife.
Throughout his career he won first prize at the first Catalan Music Festivals and in Paris he was awarded the Legion of Honor.
Of his works we highlight: Sketches, 12 Spanish Dances, Pieces on popular songs, Poetic Waltzes, Madrigal, the opera María del Carmen, Follet, Picarol, Liliana, Sardana, Aragonese Rapsody, El Pelele and The song of the stars (for piano, choir and organ).
