Jose Iturbi photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1933

José Iturbi (born 28 November 1895 in Valencia, Spain; died 28 June 1980 in Los Angeles) was a Spanish conductor and pianist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the 1943 musical, Thousands Cheer. He was involved in a complex family custody battle in the 1940s that culminated in his former son-in-law kidnapping Iturbi's two granddaughters. Jose Iturbi photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 Nov. ... Jose Iturbi photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 Nov. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Valencian) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1290. ... Look up conductor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ... ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Thousands Cheer was an American musical-comedy released by MGM in 1943. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ...

Of Basque descent, Iturbi studied in Malta and at the Valencia and Paris conservatories on scholarship. His worldwide concert tours beginning around 1912 were brilliantly successful. He excelled as an interpreter of French as well as Spanish music. He made his American debut in New York City in 1929. He made his first appearance as a conductor in Mexico City in 1933 when presented by don Ernesto de Quesada from Conciertos Daniel. He was also conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in upstate New York from 1936 to 1944. He also led the Valencia Symphony Orchestra for many years. He often appeared in concert with his sister, Amparo Iturbi, who was also a renowned pianist. Basque may refer to: Look up Basque in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... // Valencia is the name of two large cities in different parts of the world: Spain: Valencia, capital of the Valencia Autonomous Community. ... Conservatoire de Paris, or Paris Conservatoire, has been central to the evolution of music in France and Western Europe. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... It has been suggested that Mexican Federal District be merged into this article or section. ... The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Rochester, New York. ... NY redirects here. ... Dame Amparo Iturbi Novarro, pianist Jose Iturbis younger sister, was born March 12, 1899 in Valencia, Spain. ...

Iturbi appeared as an actor-performer in several filmed musicals of the 1940s. He was featured in the MGM musical Anchors Aweigh, which starred Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, as well as several other MGM movies, including one with Deanna Durbin. Unfortunately, while he was popular during his lifetime, his Hollywood film career caused many connoisseurs to undervalue him as a serious musician at a time when such "cross-over" activities were accepted with difficulty. MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... The Fantasticks was the longest-running musical in history. ... Original sheet music cover // Anchors Aweigh is the song of the United States Navy, composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmerman with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. ... Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996), better known as Gene Kelly, was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Sinatra redirects here. ... Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to English immigrant parents) was a popular young singer and actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Crossover may refer to: Audio crossover, a particular type of electronic filter used to separate audio signals into frequency bands Chromosomal crossover, in genetics, an exchange of material between two chromosomes Crossover (genetic algorithm), in genetic algorithms, refers to an analogue process to genetic crossover in a computer program Crossover...

José Iturbi continued his public performances into his eighties. Finally he was ordered by his doctors to take a "sabbatical" in March of 1980. He died five days after being admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital for "heart problems" June 28, 1980.

Literature:

Cormac McCarthy honored Iturbi with a moment of colloquial humor in Suttree, his semi-autobiographical novel published in 1979. Conversing with his Aunt Martha on the topic of dogs once owned between himself and his ancestors, he proclaimed, For the musician Cormac McCarthy, see Cormac McCarthy (musician). ... A colloquialism is an informal expression, that is, an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ... Look up Humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Suttree is a semi-autobiographical novel by Cormac_McCarthy, written in 1979. ... For music albums named Autobiography, see Greek eauton = self, bios = life and graphein = write) is a form of biography, the writing of a life story. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora. ...

"We had one named Jose Iturbi. Because it was the peeinest dog."

(page 128, Vintage)

Iturbi's granddaughters

Iturbi's daughter María had married Stephan Hero, a violinist. They lived in New York City and had two daughters. María and Stephan Hero separated in 1939 and María took the children with her to California. At age 28, in 1946, Iturbi's daughter, committed suicide.^[1]

María Iturbi had obtained legal custody of the children her 1941 divorce from Hero. Hero only had them 3 months out of the year. The rest of the time they were with their mother. Already in 1943 José Iturbi had taken his daughter to court for custody of the girls.^[2] Hero absconded with them while Iturbi was on an European concert tour in 1947. After an extended court battle, Hero and Iturbi ultimately resolved their differences outside the courtroom and the girls remained with their father.

References

1. ^ "Milestones" Time April 29, 1946, Vol. XLVII No. 17
2. ^ "Father 'Abducts' Grandchildren of Jose Iturbi"