Joaquín Nin-Culmell papers, 1929-1999

Summary

Creators:

Nin-Culmell, Joaquín

Abstract:

Primarily fair copies of autograph musical compositions, encompassing works from every period in the life of Joaquín Nin-Culmell, as well as transcriptions, arrangements, and other projects, along with musical sketch material and a comparatively small amount of professional papers from limited periods—concert programs, correspondence, and photographs. The collection includes autograph works by other composers, some with personal dedications to Nin-Culmell.

Extent:

2.92 Linear Feet 7 legal document boxes

Language:

English and English, Spanish, French

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Joaquín Nin-Culmell Papers, ARCHIVES NIN-CULMELL 1, Music Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of the collection is found in Series I and contains primarily autograph musical compositions in fair copies, encompassing works from every period in the life of Joaquín Nin-Culmell, as well as transcriptions, arrangements, and other projects. Series II gathers musical sketch material from disparate periods that didn't appear together with a project or completed work. A comparatively small amount of professional papers from various limited periods—concert programs, correspondence with publishers and others concerning a small number of particular works, and photographs—comprise the third series. The final series features a collection of autograph works by other composers, some with personal dedications to Nin-Culmell, and includes six pieces written on the death of Paul Dukas.

Biographical / historical:

Joaquín Maria Nin-Culmell (Berlin, 5 September 1908—14 January 2004, Berkeley), pianist, composer, and music pedagogue was the youngest child of Cuban singer Rosa Culmell and Spanish-raised composer Joaquín Nin. After his parents separated, his mother moved Nin-Culmell, his sister Anaïs and brother Thorvald, from Barcelona to New York City where they lived for nine years (1914-1924). At age fifteen, Nin-Culmell and his family moved to Europe (1924-1938). He began his musical studies in Barcelona with Conchita Badia, student of Enrique Granados, and later studied piano in Paris at the Schola Cantorum (1925-1930), and privately with Alfred Cortot and Ricardo Viñes, then harmony, counterpoint, and fugue with Jean and Noel Gallon, and composition with Paul Dukas at the Conservatory (1932-1935). During the summers of 1930, 1932, and 1934 he studied with Manuel de Falla in Granada.

In 1939, Nin-Culmell moved to the United States, where he taught at Middlebury College, Vermont before joining the music faculty of Williams College in Williamstown, MA (1940-1950), then the Music Department faculty at the University of California, Berkeley (1950-1974). Throughout his career, Nin-Culmell performed in concerts throughout Europe and the United States. While at Berkeley, he conducted the University of California Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a pianist with numerous musical groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. After retiring from UC Berkeley, he continued to compose and perform. Many of his musical compositions are based on folkloric materials, often with changed rhythm, mode or melodic contour of traditional melodies.

Sources:

Diccionario de le música española e hispanoamericana, vol. 7, p. 1040 (Ana V. Casanova Oliva) New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, vol. 17, p. 926 (Carol A. Hess)

Custodial history:

Retrieved from the Berkeley, California home of Joaquín Nin-Culmell by Matthew Weber, Music Library staff, about June 2002

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in four series, the first of which further arranged in three subseries: Series 1: Musical Compositions and Projects (arranged by musical genre) Subseries 1: Stage (arranged chronologically) Subseries 2: Vocal (arranged chronologically) Subseries 3: Instrumental (arranged chronologically) Series 2: Musical Sketches (chronological) Series 3: Professional Papers (chronological) Series 4: Musical Compositions by Other Composers (alphabetical by composer surname)

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Related material:

Papers of Joaquín Nin-Culmell are also preserved at the Biblioteca de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain and at the University of California, Riverside, part of the “Joaquín Nin-Culmell and José Joaquín Nin y Castellanos family papers." An oral history with Joaquín Nin-Culmell, conducted in 2002, is preserved by the Regional Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

University of California, Berkeley -- Faculty.
Composers -- United States

Names:

Nin-Culmell, Joaquín

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted to the Curator of Music Collections, Hargrove Music Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Joaquín Nin-Culmell Papers, ARCHIVES NIN-CULMELL 1, Music Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Music Library

Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

(510) 642-2623

music_reference@berkeley.edu

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