Joan

Violinist, pedagogue and composer

He began piano lessons with his mother and violin with Pérez Aguirre. In 1902 he studied at the Conservatory of Brussels with A. Marchot, where he won the Van Hal prize in 1906. That same year he returned to Barcelona and engaged in solo performances accompanied by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lamote de Grignon. He founded a string quartet (with Quer, Garangou and Cassadó), a string trio (with Garganta and Ricart Matas) and a duet with the organist Albert Schweitzer. On several tours in Europe he performed music by Roussel, Ravel and D'Indy. He collaborated with the Orfeó Català in the sacred concerts (1915) and the Bach Festivals (1917). From 1924 onwards, he performed with the pianist Blanche Selva and with Maria Carbonell, who he married and with whom he founded the Joan Massià Association of concerts. He was a renowned professor of the Escola Municipal de Música of Barcelona and taught violinists such as Xavier Turull and Gonçal Comellas. He composed songs, chamber and piano music with a striking impressionist influe