Monasterio, Jesús de

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Monasterio, Jesús de

Monasterio, Jesús de, famous Spanish violinist and pedagogue; b. Potes, near Santander, March 21, 1836; d. Casar del Periedo, Sept. 28, 1903. A child prodigy, he began his training with his father and then studied in Valladolid. He played for the Queen in 1843, and she became his patroness. After making his debut in 1845 in Madrid at age 9, he studied at the Brussels Cons, with Beriot (violin) and Fétis (theory), graduating with the prix extraordinaire. He subsequently toured throughout Europe. He was made honorary violinist at Madrid’s royal chapel (1854), prof, of violin (from 1857) and director (1894–97) at the Madrid Cons., and he conducted the Sociedad de Conciertos (1869–76), becoming influential in forming a taste for classical music in Spain. He publ. a number of violin pieces, including the popular Adios a la Alhambra.

Bibliography

J. Alonso, J. d.M. (Santander, 1954).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire