composer music educator pianist
Joaquín Nin y Castellanos was born on September 29, 1879, in Havana. He was the son of the Catalan writer Joaquín Nin Tudó and Ángela Castellanos Perdomo of Camagüey. Raised largely in Barcelona, he developed an early interest in music and began piano studies there before continuing his education in Paris.
Nin studied piano with Moritz Moszkowski in Paris and pursued composition studies at the Schola Cantorum de Paris under the influence of Vincent d’Indy. He later joined the faculty of the Schola Cantorum, teaching piano from 1905/1906 to 1908.
After completing his studies, Nin established himself as an international concert pianist. He lived and worked in several European cultural centers, including Berlin, Brussels, Paris, and Havana, while touring extensively throughout Europe and the Americas.
As a performer, he became particularly known for championing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Bach family, and early Spanish keyboard composers. His performances helped revive interest in neglected Spanish Baroque repertoire. He also published scholarly editions of historical Spanish keyboard works and collections of traditional Spanish songs.
As a composer, Nin produced piano works, songs, chamber music, and arrangements of Spanish folk melodies. His music reflected Spanish nationalist influences while also incorporating elements of French musical style. Among his best-known works are Seguida Española, En el jardín de Lindaraja, 5 Comentarios, 20 Cantos españoles, and 10 Villancicos españoles.
In addition to composing and performing, he wrote essays on music and aesthetics and edited important collections of early Spanish keyboard music that contributed to the rediscovery of composers such as Antonio Soler.
Nin played a significant role in preserving and promoting early Spanish keyboard music through his performances, scholarly editions, and publications. His edited collections of Spanish sonatas and keyboard works helped bring renewed attention to eighteenth-century Spanish composers, particularly Antonio Soler.
Nin was a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and was awarded membership in the French Légion d'honneur. He was also recognized as a corresponding member of the Spanish Academy.
In 1902, Nin married the Cuban singer Rosa Culmell. Their children were businessman Thorvald Nin, composer Joaquín Nin-Culmell, and writer Anaïs Nin.
