Catalan by birth, Federico Mompou studied in his native Barcelona, before moving to Paris, where, before and after the war, he spent over twenty years. His music, much of it for piano, is economical in means, with something of the sparse texture familiar from Satie, another perceptible influence.

Piano Music

Mompou's piano music, including delicately conceived miniatures, is intimately expressive, generally avoiding ostentatious gestures. His early Impresiones intimas (Intimate Impressions) and Scènes d'enfants (Children's Scenes) lead to the later Música callada, four collections written between 1959 and 1967.

Vocal Music

Songs by Mompou, which in general avoid the extremes of nationalism, although perceptibly Catalan in inspiration, range from L'hora gris (Grey Hour) of 1915 to the later settings of St John of the Cross.