Federico Mompou studied in his native Barcelona before moving to Paris, where, before and after the war, he spent over 20 years.
His music, much of it for piano, is economical in means and sparse texture; it is somewhat similar to music by Satie.
Mompou’s piano music, including delicately conceived miniatures, is intimately expressive, generally avoiding ostentatious gestures. His early Impresiones íntimas (‘Intimate Impressions’) and Scènes d’enfants (‘Children’s Scenes’) lead to the later Música callada (‘Secret Music’), of which there are four volumes written between 1959 and 1967.
Listen now to Alicia de Larrocha (see image) as she performed “Secreto” by Federico Mompou:
