“A few years ago, I was in Victoria, British Columbia,” recalled American Piano Awards winner Sara Davis Buechner, “and I was warming up before a concert using a piano teacher’s studio at the university. There were some collections of piano music on the shelves, and to warm up I wanted to sight read something. I took one of the volumes down, opened it to see a piece called ‘Sueño en Granada’ by Federico Longás. I played it and thought, ‘that’s really beautiful!’” Sara would endeavor to learn more about Longás and eventually become a noted champion of his works.

Federico Longás was born in the sun-drenched Spanish city of Barcelona in the 1890s to parents who had relocated there from Jaca, an ancient fort on the Aragón river near the Pyrenees. Biographer Josep Cuscó notes, “at the age of four, Federico began his first contact with music at his father’s hand, and the following year he began music studies with the pianist and composer Robert Goberna.”

Federico Longás and Enrique Granados shared a significant relationship that deeply influenced Longás’ musical development and career. Longás was a student of Granados, one of Spain’s most esteemed composers and pianists. Under Granados’ tutelage, Longás honed his craft and absorbed the rich traditions of Spanish music, which Granados embodied in his own compositions.

Granados, known for his evocative and richly textured pieces, particularly his suite “Goyescas,” left an indelible mark on Longás. The mentorship provided Longás with not only technical proficiency but also a profound understanding of the emotional and cultural depths of Spanish music. This influence is evident in Longás’ works, which often reflect the romantic and nationalistic elements characteristic of Granados’ style.

The connection between teacher and student was more than just instructional; it was a transmission of artistic legacy. Longás carried forward Granados’ dedication to infusing classical music with distinctly Spanish elements, contributing to the continuation and evolution of this musical heritage.

In March 1916 a German torpedo tragically sank the ship on which Granados was traveling back from New York. A series of memorial concerts were given across Spain, and Longás participated in several, performing among other pieces his mentor’s “Goyescas.”

Longás lived in Paris in the early 1930s when he composed perhaps his most famous piece, ‘Aragón.’ The time was characterized by political upheaval and economic challenges, but Paris was a place for rich cultural exchanges with a deep appreciation for Spanish culture. This context likely contributed to the emotional depth and cultural richness of “Aragón,” making it a piece that resonates with the historical and artistic currents of its time.

As Sara Davis Buechner notes, “His biggest piano piece is called ‘Aragón’ and it is dedicated to Vladimir Horowitz, so it’s written for a really first-class virtuoso—it’s a big, showy, splashy Spanish piano piece. Wonderful, colorful, exuberant, lovely and very accessible Spanish music I would say.”

Here is Sara’s performance a of suite of pieces by Longás in Indianapolis in 2022. “Aragón” starts at 13:32:

 

 

Longás and his wife, soprano Margarita Salvi, moved to the United States in the 1937, aligning with other European musicians seeking opportunities in America. They toured extensively, and his performances often leaned heavily into the works of Spanish composers including his own and those of his mentor Granados, thus helping to popularize Spanish classical music in America.

Federico Longás spent his later years first in Buenos Aires, Argentina and later in Santiago, Chile, where he died in 1968. Thanks to Sara Davis Buechner and others, his work lives on.