Lecuna, Juan Vicente

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Lecuna, Juan Vicente

Lecuna, Juan Vicente, Venezuelan composer; b. Valencia, Nov. 20, 1891; d. Rome, April 15, 1954. He studied at the Escuela Normal, graduating in 1906, then went to Caracas and studied theory with Juan Vicente and piano with Salvador Llamozas at the Cons. He later took a course in composition with Jaime Pahissa in Buenos Airea (1937–41), where he also received instruction from Falla; likewise studied orchestration with Strube in Baltimore (1941). In the meantime, he entered the diplomatic service. In 1936 he was appointed a civil employee at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C. In 1943 he was sent by the Venezuelan dept. of education to study musical education in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. In 1947 he was named Secretary of the Legation of Venezuela in Rome, and later was appointed a member of the Venezuelan legation at the Vatican. He composed a Piano Concerto, Suite venezolana for 4 Guitars, String Quartet, Harp Sonata, songs, and a suite of 4 Venezuelan dances for Piano.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire