Jordi Vives i Batlle
Lives in Cumbria, United Kingdom
I was born in Barcelona in 1964, and music has been present in my life from an early age. Although neither of my parents are musicians, my father taught me from very young to love classical music, but I never decided to start a professional music life.
By training I am a physicist, currently working as an environmental consultant in Cumbria, UK. Although coming from a scientific background and loving my job, I always retained my musical interests. My favourite composers are Schubert, Mahler and Elgar. Later on, I developed an interest in contemporary music (mainly Webern, Schoenberg, Berg and Boulez). More recently I have become very interested in the music of the composers banned, persecuted and even and killed by the Third Reich and, especially, Viktor Ullmann who, in my opinion, deserves full recognition. I am also interested in the music of Erwin Schulhoff, Hans Krasa, Kurt Weill, and others.
In the main I am self-taught, though I have managed to complete a two-year Diploma in Music by the Open University (courses A214, AA302 and AA314). I enjoy reading texts on musical theory and history. I am fascinated by the formal aspects of music, including harmony, form, composition and analysis. I am a keen member of the Whitehaven Brass Band where I play the Bb bass. I feel stimulated by contact with other composers whhom I have met in this website. All these activities and contacts stimulate me to write my compositions.
In parallel with my musical interests I like to write poetry and a small selection of my poems, written in Catalan language, are available if you click here.
At the moment, my biggest challenge is to combine work, study, composition and being a parent. I am experimenting with a combination of traditional and modern harmony. Initially, believing that I should learn to use classical forms, I produced pieces in the Classical style, but presently I am composing using a more modern aesthetic. I have had a successful performance of a piece of mine, the Farewell Fantasia in C minor. Click here to see the original version for clarinet and piano. Alternatively you can see the Virgil Barstad arrangement for five string violin and piano, or the Matthew Scott Phillips arrangements for violin, cello and guitar, and for string orchestra.
I regard as my principal works to date the single-movement Piano Quintet in A minor, and my Variations for String Quartet, which is a serial composition.
Being Spanish (of the Catalan variety) it is only natural that I have an interest in my country and its history, which occasionally becomes reflected in my music. I believe that some day Spain will become again a Republic. With this sentiment in mind I have composed an arrangement of the Himno de Riego (Anthem of the Republic), which is available here. In addition to these and other works published in SibeliusMusic, I have many unfinished manuscripts including a twelve-tone sonata for piano and other piano and instrumental pieces. Presently, I am composing a serenade for strings, and dreaming of a violin concerto.
I have no pretensions of being a great or famous composer and I am happy enough being a non-professional one, forever learning and experimenting. At the very least, the more I try to compose better music, the better I might understand the legacy of the masters and their thoughts while composing. If any music of mine is enjoyable to someone, I consider this to be more than enough reward.
Your visit number as metered by the WebCounter is: 
|
