Ricard Lamote de Grignon i Ribas (; 25 September 1899 – 5 February 1962) was a
Catalan Spanish composer and orchestral conductor.

Ricard Lamote de Grignon was born and died in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. He was the only son of the composer
Joan Lamote de Grignon
Joan Lamote de Grignon i Bocquet (; 7 July 1872 – 11 March 1949) was a Catalan Spanish pianist, composer and orchestra director.
Life
Joan Lamote de Grignon was born and died in Barcelona, the son of parents of French descent, Lluis Lamote d ...
and Florentina Ribas. He was initiated into the world of music by his father, then later studied at the
Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu
Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu () is a music college in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was created in 1837 with the name ''Liceo Filo-dramático de Montesión''.
In 1847 the institution inaugurated the opera house Gran Teatre del Li ...
and at the Academia Marshall, both in Barcelona. At the age of 20 he joined the
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and the
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Gran may refer to:
People
*Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran"
* Gran (name)
Places
* Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary
* Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet coun ...
as a cellist. In 1930 he was appointed director of the
Girona
Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
Symphony Orchestra and in 1932 he won the appointment as assistant conductor of the Barcelona Municipal Band.
At the onset of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
he fled to
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
to join his father, working alongside him as assistant director of the newly created Municipal Orchestra. In 1948 he returned to Barcelona but, finding it impossible to regain his place as director of the Municipal Band, dedicated himself to musical composition and study. In 1957 he occupied the post of deputy director of the Municipal Orchestra, collaborating with his great friend
Eduard Toldrà
Eduard Toldrà Soler (; Vilanova i la Geltrú 7 April 1895 – Barcelona, 31 May 1962) was a Spanish Catalan composer and conductor.
Toldrà played an important role in the Culture of Barcelona. In 1944 he founded the Barcelona Symphony Orch ...
until his death in 1962.
Important works
His work includes many pieces for piano, symphonic poems, also chamber music and music for choir with symphony orchestra, not forgetting his additions to the repertoire of
sardana
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity through ...
dance and band music.
* Symphonic works like ''Facècia'' (1936) which was awarded the Juli Garreta prize in 1938, ''Dos Petits Poemes, Cartell Simfònic'' (1936), ''Tres Sonates del Pare Soler or Simfonia Catalana'' (1950), among others, and ''Concierto Mágico'', music for the film of the same name and ''Tríptico de la Piel de Toro'', for piano and orchestra.
* Ballets like ''El Rusc'', first performed at the Gran Teatro del Liceo, ''Somnis'' (1929) and ''Un Prat'', dedicated to his "father and maestro" and ''Divertimento'' (1936) for symphonic jazz orchestra.
* Large-scale operas like ''La Cabeza del Dragón'' (1939), first performed in 1959, with libretto by Valle-Inclán, and chamber operas like ''Le Petit Chaperon Vert'', with French text by Marià Camí, or ''Mágia'', whose libretto he wrote himself, first performed in 1952, and a children's opera, ''La Flor'', which premiered in 1934 and was performed again on several occasions.
* The symphonic poem ''Enigmes'' won the Premio Ciutat de Barcelona in 1950, as did his posthumous work ''El Càntic dels Càntics'', completed before his death in 1962.
* Vocal music includes works for voice and piano on poems by Carner and Maragall, among others, and choral pieces like ''Romance del Caballero'', and the harmonisation of traditional songs.
* Small works for piano and several pieces for different instrumental ensembles like: ''Toccata'', which was awarded the Premio Santa Llúcia, 1957 de Juventudes Musicales; the work ''Goya, Six unpleasant pieces for ten soloists''; and a series of pieces for different wind ensembles entitled ''Miniatures'', designed as pre-rehearsal exercises for the instrumentalists of the Orquesta de Valencia.
*
Sardanes
The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity througho ...
for
Cobla
The ''cobla'' (, plural ''cobles'') is a traditional music ensemble of Catalonia, and in Northern Catalonia in France. It is generally used to accompany the sardana, a traditional Catalan folk dance, danced in a circle.
Structure
The modern Cobl ...
: ''Amical'', ''Camí de Llum'', ''Nupcial'', ''El Noguer'', ''El Mas'', ''Sant Elm'' and ''Enyor''.
The archive of the Lamote de Grignon family, with works by Ricard and his father Joan, is at the Musical Document Repository of the Generalitat of Catalunya and may be studied in the
Biblioteca de Catalunya
The Library of Catalonia (, ) is the Catalan national library, located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The primary mission of the Library of Catalonia is to collect, preserve, and spread Catalan bibliographic production and that related to the ...
.
Music
GOYA: Six unpleasant pieces for 10 soloists
Bibliography
*
*
Recordings
GOYA: Six unpleasant pieces for 10 soloistsBarcino
[Barcino = Barcelona] Ensemble, Adolphe Pla (director)
References
External links
*
(in Catalan, Spanish and English)
Archive Ricard Lamote de Grignon in the Biblioteca de CatalunyaArchive Lamote de Grignon family in the Biblioteca de CatalunyaSardanista.cat: List of sardanes by Ricard Lamote de GrignonAudio performance of Ricard Lamote de Grignon's ''Amical''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamote de Grignon, Ricard
1899 births
1965 deaths
20th-century Spanish classical composers
20th-century male composers
20th-century Spanish male musicians
20th-century Spanish musicians
Composers from Catalonia
Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu alumni
Musicians from Barcelona
Sardana
Spanish classical cellists
Spanish male classical composers
20th-century cellists