A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) began composing music as a young man in Valencia, Spain, at a school for the blind, where he learned a complex variety of braille that allowed him to make musical notation before dictating it to his assistant. “Being blind affected every aspect of Rodrigo’s life and brought him closer to music through an acute aural sense,” write Suárez-Pajares and Clark, both professors of musicology. Today, he is best known for his Concierto de Aranjuez, “the key with which Rodrigo opened the door to the history of music and walked through it.” The concerto remains a fixture with orchestras and in pop culture, appearing in places as far-ranging as a 1975 Chrysler car commercial, the 2003 film The School of Rock, and the 2021 superhero movie Suicide Squad 2. The authors diligently chart the trajectory of the artist: years in Paris when Rodrigo allegedly pawned an overcoat for opera tickets, communal housing for the blind in Germany, and a return to his native Spain. Throughout, the text is detailed and fascinating and will appeal both to classical music buffs and neophytes seeking to learn more. The authors offer close examinations of many of their subject’s compositions, veering into the technical as they dissect his use of musical techniques. Among other signature strategies, they examine Rodrigo’s unique use of bitonality, dissonance, and polyphony. Alongside the procedural analysis, they include ample emotional color, such as this evocative description of some of his earlier musical compositions: “When Rodrigo was not praying, he was shouting. One suspects that at times he could do both simultaneously.” Reading such interesting passages, curious readers will no doubt find themselves seeking out Rodrigo’s full repertoire. The authors include many illustrations and musical examples.
