Carme Bravo

{{Infobox person | name = Carme Bravo | image = Carme Bravo en un concert al Colegio de España a París l'any 1951 - fotografia de Sabine Weiss.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1919|10|24}} | birth_place = Gironella | death_date = {{death date and age|2007|4|29|1919|10|24}} | death_place = Barcelona | education = Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona | occupation = Pianist, Teacher | spouse = | partner = Frederic Mompou i Dencausse }}

'''Carme Bravo Roy''' (Gironella, Berguedà, October 24, 1919 - Barcelona, April 29, 2007) was a Catalan pianist. She completed her piano studies at the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona where she received various awards and qualifications including a scholarship to study in Paris.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2015|title=The Foundation|url=https://fundaciomompou.cat/en/the-foundation/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323063851/http://fundaciomompou.cat/en/the-foundation/|archive-date=2016-03-23|access-date=|website=Fundació Mompou|series=|language=English}}</ref> In 1950 she moved to France where she studied under Madga Tagliaferro and Lazare Lévy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Janés|first=Clara|title=La vida callada de Mompou|publisher=Vaso Roto|year=2012|isbn=9788415168454|location=Madrid|pages=|language=Spanish}}</ref>

== Biography ==

=== Early years === Born into an artesan family,<ref name=":0" /> Bravo received her first piano lessons from a neighbor. Later when her family moved to Barcelona, she took up piano and solfège at a music school. During this period she met her close friend Petri Palou, also a piano student.<ref name=":1" />

=== Music career === She initiated her piano solo career in Barcelona with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, working with Eduard Toldrà who was the conductor at that time.<ref name=":0" /> In 1941 Bravo participated in a piano competition organized by César Mendoza Lasalle in the Coliseum theatre of Barcelona.<ref name=":1" /> There she met composer Frederic Mompou who she would later marry in 1957.<ref name=":0" /> In 1950, the Barcelona city council awarded her a scholarship to travel to Paris to continue her piano studies. During her stay there she performed for the French radio station.<ref name=":1" /> Bravo also gave various concerts in Italy and the Netherlands, presenting classical and Spanish repertoire. Among other known professors, she received lessons from Ricard Vinyes.<ref name=":0" /> left|thumb|Carme Bravo next to Chopin's tomb in Paris in 1950 During her marriage she taught piano at the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona as well as pedagogy at the Escola Universitària del Professorat. After the death of her husband, she again took up her performance career, presenting his works in countries such as Japan, the United States, and in other regions of Spain.<ref name=":0" />

=== Personal life === Bravo began her childhood living alone with her parents in Gironella. She had older siblings who were enrolled in a boarding school, but she received her early education from her mother. It was at the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona that she met her close friend Petri Palou.<ref name=":1" /> left|thumb|219x219px|Carme Bravo and Frederic Mompou in 1943 After meeting the composer and pianist Frederic Mompou, the two developed a close relationship, meeting frequently to go for walks in Barcelona.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bravo|first=Carme|date=April 1993|title=Federico y yo|url=|journal=Scherzo|language=Spanish|publisher=Scherzo Editorial|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref> The relationship continued for fifteen years and resulted in their marriage in 1957. Bravo also had friendships with many other known artists and poets of her time. Among others, she kept in contact with Alicia de Larrocha, Xavier Montsalvatge, Josep Janés, and Ester Nadal. Bravo and Nadal had participated together in many musical activities, and along with Pura Gómez and J. Climent i Guinart they founded the Cor Mixt Polifònic.<ref name=":1" />

=== Later years === After the death of her husband in 1987,<ref name=":0" /> Bravo began giving private lessons to pianists, instructing them in the art of performing Mompou's music, as well as incorporating the composer's works in her international performances.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Malaquer|first=Jordi|date=|title=En la mort de dues grans senyores de la música|url=|journal=Panorama|language=Catalan|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bravo|first=Carme|date=|title=Consejos de Carme Bravo sobre la música de F. Mompou|url=http://fundaciomompou.cat/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Consells-de-Carmen-Bravo-sobre-la-musica-de-F.Mompou.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622084502/http://fundaciomompou.cat/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Consells-de-Carmen-Bravo-sobre-la-musica-de-F.Mompou.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-22 |website=fundaciomompou.cat|language=Spanish}}</ref> She created a foundation dedicated to the divulgation of Mompou's works, especially among young people. Together with the Juventuts Musicals de Barcelona and Joan Millà she established the Frederic Mompou Private Foundation on the 12th of June, 2006.<ref name=":0" />

She recorded two CDs published with EMI Classics and PDI.

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* https://fundaciomompou.cat/en/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_TZTdfCMw - Interview with Carme Bravo * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic8fyUBrgcc - Interview with Carme Bravo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravo, Carme}} Category:20th-century pianists Category:Spanish women pianists Category:1919 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Spanish expatriates in France Category:Spanish pianists