The second in a series of short introductions to well known players of the castanets. All of these short entries will be found on the page "Players" in the left menu! More exhaustive biographies will follow later!
JOSÉ da UDAETA
After Emma Maleras, José Udaeta might be the most recognized name to castanet aficionados. Born in the same year as Emma, 1919, his family wanted him to go into medicine. He began studying medicin but secretly took dance courses, and soon he began focusing solely on dancing. Making his debut with the Madrid Opera Company, he spent over 50 years as proponent of both classical and traditional spanish dances.
Not only was he born in the same year as Emma Maleras, he also studiet castanets for her, which became is main interest after the mid-70s. A profilic perfomer - Herbert Von Karajan once invited him to the Salzburgischer Festspiele! - he perfomed in several dozens of countries around the world, and in 1985 he authored one of the definitive works on castanets, 'Die Spanische Kastagnetten'.
He died peacefully in 2009, leaving his collection of castanets to the Institut del Teatre, where he began studying under Emma Maleras. A trip there is well recommended to enthusiasts!
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