Claudio Arrau
Piano
1903 - 1991

www.arrauhouse.org

Claudio (Chinito) ARRAU León, born on 7th* February in Chillán (Ñuble, Chile), the third child of Dr Don Carlos ARRAU Ojeda (1856-1904), an oculist, philanthropist and guitar player, and Doña Lucrecia LEÓN Bravo-de-Villalba (1859-1959), a piano teacher. 
Brother Carlos (1893) and sister Lucrecia (Quecha, 1897) were already members of the household.

*[From birth registration No. 254, page 129, entered in Chillán on 03 March 1903 and kept by the Chillán Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, Claudio was born at midnight between the 6th and the 7th of February.  His date of birth is usually shown as 6th of February]

1908

 

 

 

Chile

 

 

 

Charity function -
Claudio's very first piano recital at the still under construction Municipal Theatre of Chillán on Saturday 19th September at 9:30 pm (sic), as a 5-year-old child prodigy using pedal extensions specially made for him.  The performance included:

Either -
> Beethoven's Variations,
> a Mozart Sonata,
> Schumann's Kinderszenen, and
> L. Streabbog's Louis XIII Air Op.115
[From article in El Comercio newspaper of Chillán, Tuesday 22nd September 1908]

Or -
> Chopin's easier Études
> Schumann's Kinderscenen
> Beethoven's Variations on "Nel cor più non mi sento"
> Beethoven's Rondo
> Liszt's Consolation
[Arrau's imprecise reminiscence in Clavier magazine of November 1972, possibly intermingled with subsequent recitals as a child]

Or -
> Mozart:  Sonata K545
> Beethoven:  Variazioni su "Nel cor più non mi sento"
> Chopin:  Il primo dei "Tre Nuovi Studi"
> L. Streabbog:  L'Aire Louis XIII
> A piece for four hands, with mother
[From Claudio Arrau, Il filosofo, Piero Rattalino, Zecchini Editore, Varese, 2006]

1909

Chile

Mother decided to move temporarily to Santiago and settled at Calle Dieciocho (street name).  Mother soon made various contacts and enlisted the help of admiring critic and writer Antonio ORREGO Barros, so that the child was able to give piano playing demonstrations before numerous Members of Parliament in Santiago.

1909

 

Chile

 

After listening to the child playing at his presidential residence, the then President of Chile, Mr Pedro MONTT, entertained the idea of Claudio Arrau's studying overseas.  The President expressed his admiration for the child in a written dedication, dated 30 September 1909, accompanying a book on famous musicians [Los nacionalistas musicales (?)], given as a present.  The dedication read:

"To Claudio Arrau as a token of the loving admiration whith which I have heard him playing the piano at the age of six years.  In Santiago, on the 30th day of September of 1909.  Pedro Montt ".

Influential Chilean musician Enrique SORO Barriga was reported to have stated after the recital that he had just heard a genious playing.

[Newspaper El Comercio, Chillán, 16 October 1909]

1909

 

 

Chile

 

 

1909

Chile

First piano recital in Santiago, at the age of 6, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin, received with amazement.

1909

Chile

Premonitory assessment of Claudio's first Santiago recital by critic and writer Antonio ORREGO Barros, in an article entitled The Chilean Mozart, published by the Selecta magazine of Santiago in November 1909 (Year 1, No.8, pages 275 & 276).

1909-1910

Chile

Undertakes private tutoring under distinguished Italian Music Teacher Bindo PAOLI  from the Santiago Conservatory, after demonstrating his skills in a transposition examination taken before Teachers Paoli and GIARDA (Luigi Stefano) in November 1909.
Paoli tutored Claudio on Mozart's sonatas and Bach's préludes.

1910

Chile

Piano recital at the La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago on 4th June, at the age of 7, before an audience including President Pedro MONTT and a number of ministers, diplomats, and artists.  The recital included works by Bach, Grieg, Mozart, and Carl Reinecke.  Violinist Lucía Vázquez accompanied the child in two of the works.

1910

Chile

Receives in February a Scholarship from the Chilean Parliament to undertake studies in Santiago with Professor PAOLI.  In November, the privilege was extended to pursuing studies in Berlin, at the time held as the artistic capital of the world.  
[The Scholarship was subsequently debated and renewed in Parliament, until discontinued in 1921].

Newspaper La Discusión of Chillán, dated 5th January, publishes an article entitled Claudio Arrau, written by Efraín VÁSQUEZ Jara, describing the unbelievable technical resources displayed by Claudio in order to compensate for his small size whilst making delightful music.

Valparaíso's Sucesos magazine of 11th February publishes an article detailing Claudio's recent visit to the magazine, where he was asked to pose for a photo and provide his first ever autograph.  The article makes a record of the optimistic predictions about Claudio's future made by the Musical Section Head of the Fine Letters Council, Mr Agustín CANNOBIO.  A recital for the press given by Claudio following his visit to Sucesos is also mentioned.

Farewell recital in Chillán on 7th May, aged 8, with a program comprising:

> Chopin:  Étude No.3
> Schumann:  Andante and Variations (for two pianos)
> Mozart:  Fantasie in D minor
> Moszkowski:  Danse Espagnole (for four hands)

> Chopin:  Rondo (for two pianos)
> Beethoven:  Variations on a Theme
> Raff, Joachim:  Tarantelle (for four hands)
> Duvernoy, J.B.:  Feu roulant Op.256 (for two pianos)

Piano demonstrations in Berlin at the age of 8.

Whilst a child prodigy, Claudio perforates four Römhildt Virtuola piano rolls.  
The rolls contain the following pieces:
Ignaz Moscheles - Gesellschaftskonzert, 1. Satz, Allegro maestoso [Roll 5167]
Moritz Moszkowski - Tarantelle, from Op.77 [Roll 5168]
Josef Haydn - Allegro in F major [Roll 5169], and
J.S. Bach - Klein Präludium No. 3 in C minor [Roll 5170]
Original copies of these rolls are preserved at the Pianola Museum of Amsterdam.