Baltasar Samper

Baltasar Samper i Marquès (1888–1966) was a Mallorcan pianist, composer, conductor, and folk song researcher — one of the most significant figures in Catalan musical culture of the early 20th century. Born in Palma, he became a leading representative of Catalan Noucentisme, combining post-impressionist composition with rigorous fieldwork in traditional music. His research on Mallorca's folk songs fed directly into works such as the symphonic suite "Cançons i danses de l'Illa de Mallorca" (1929) and the suite "Ritual de pagesia" (1933). For choir and orchestra he composed the "Càntic espiritual" (1941). In 1935 he delivered a series of lectures on jazz, later published in 2019 as "Baltasar Samper. Música de Jazz. Conferències de 1935" (Lleonard Muntaner Editor). Persecuted under Francoism, he spent his final years in exile in Mexico City, where he died in 1966. A 2023 complete edition of his vocal and piano works on the FICTA label was awarded the Enderrock de Balears de Música Clàssica 2024. His ties to Sóller, Mallorca, are commemorated in ongoing cultural retrospectives on the island.