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Born atCollbató, near Montserrat, on November 18th 1871,Amadeo Vives was an early pupil ofFelipePedrell, the father figure of 20th Century Spanish music. Whilst studyingin Barcelona with composerJosé Ribera, he helped found theinfluentialOrféo Catalá (1891), a key element inCatalunya's musical renaissance. Madrid soon beckoned, and he lived the rest ofhis life there, first publishing a series of concert works, solo and much-lovedchoral songs - notablyL'emigrant (1894), which became a rallying cryfor Catalan exiles around the globe - before turning to the zarzuelas on whichhis reputation rests.

Vives' interests extended beyond zarzuela. He wrote a successfulstage playJo no sabia que el món era així (1929) as wellas several unsuccessful operas, though his dream was to become an orchestraland symphonic composer.Isaac Albéniz once said that if Vives hadwished to compose Spanish music with a universal accent, he could haveundoubtedly have been a major international figure. Perhaps he simply lackedthe confidence to try. His autobiographical bookSofía(1923)paints a revealing picture of a nervous figure, suffering from bouts ofsemi-paralysis as a result of a fall in early life, never entirely satisfiedwith being 'just' the leadingzarzuelero of his day. Be that as it may,by the time of his death on December 1st 1932 he was a revered figure - aParliamentary session was postponed for members to attend his funeral - and hismusic is still dear to many Spaniards today.

Vives' outputof over a hundred stage works began with the ambitious four-act operaArtús (1897, Barcelona, based on Walter Scott). His firstzarzuela, the one-actLa primera del barrio, was produced at the Teatrode la Zarzuela in Madrid a year later. A host of first nights followed, butdespite some critical esteem - particularly forDon Lucas del Cigarral(1899) andLa balada de la luz(1900) - the real breakthrough came withthe one-actBohemios in 1904, boldlybased on the same literary source as Puccini's masterpiece. French rather thanItalian influences are apparent on the score, which nevertheless shows Vives'growing individuality. The operatic version ofBohemios patched togetherbyConrado del Campo in 1920 diluted the original and did not displaceit.

Two works written soon after withGerónimo Giménez are still heard -El húsar de la guardia (1904) andLa gatita blanca (1905),both in one act - but other once-popular works, such asLos viajes deGulliver (1911), have faded. Not so the operettaLa Generala (1912, set in "Oxford andCambridge"); the pastoral operaMaruxa(1914, through-sung);DoñaFrancisquita (1923), perhaps the finest of all three-actgénero grande zarzuelas; andLavillana (1927). His last works, the two-act zarzuelasLosFlamencos (1928) andNoche de verbena (1929) have not proved sodurable; and thecomedia líricaTalismán(1932) wasonly respectfully received.