Josep

Josep Subirà Puig

Barcelona , 6 August 1882
Madrid , 7 January 1980

Musicologist

Musicologist and music critic

In 1896 he moved to Madrid and was admitted to the conservatory, where he was a student of R. Montalbán, J. Cantó and E. Serrano.

In 1906 he began an intense activity as a music critic and essayist, alongside his career as administrative officer. In 1944 he was appointed secretary of the Spanish Institute of Musicology and in 1950 he became head of the Madrid section of that organization.

He occasionally signed under the pseudonyms Jesús A. Ribó or Mauricio Puig. His extensive output mainly includes stage music, as well as academic research essays and articles on musical outreach and criticism. Notable research contributions include La música en la Casa de Alba, La tonadilla escénica, Historia y anecdotario del Teatro Real and El compositor Iriarte. He also catalogued the music collection of the Biblioteca Nacional in collaboration with Higini Anglès. He wrote Historia de la música en España and contributed to the Revista Musical Catalana and The New Grove’s Dictionary of Music.

He is considered one of the pioneers of Spanish musicology.