José Vianna da Motta

Biographical information

RolesReferee
SexMale
Full nameJosé•Vianna da Motta
Used nameJosé•Vianna da Motta
Other namesJosé Viana da Mota
Born22 April 1868 in São Tomé, São Tomé (STP)
Died1 June 1948 in Lisboa, Distrito de Lisboa (POR)
NOC Portugal

Biography

José Vianna da Motta returned with his family from the former Portuguese colony São Tomé to Lisboa when he was a one-year-old. There, he learned piano from local teachers and gave his first concert at the age of 13. Because of his special talent, he was sponsored by the Portuguese royal court. He then went to Berlin to study piano as well as composition. In 1885 he became one of the last students of Franz Liszt in Weimar (1811-1886). Vianna da Motta later wrote “A Vida de Liszt” (Liszt’s Life) about this experience. Two years later he attended a course with the German virtuoso pianist Hans von Bülow (1830-1894) in Frankfurt am Main.

In the following years, Vianna da Motta made a series of concert tours through Europe (1887-88), the United States (1892-93, 1899), and South America (1902). In 1915, he left Berlin because of the outbreak of World War I and became director of the master class of the Genève (Geneva) Conservatory. In 1919, he was appointed director of the Conservatorio Nacional in Lisboa and held this position until his retirement in 1938. He was also a member of the Freemasons.

At the height of his career, Vianna da Motta was highly regarded, especially as a Bach and Beethoven interpreter. He was also the author of numerous articles and essays in German, French, and Portuguese, as well as several books. He was also prolific as a composer. His works included Invocação dos Lusíadas (Invocation of the Lusíadas) for orchestra and chorus, a symphony, a string quartet, and many piano pieces, some of which incorporated Portuguese folk themes. From 1908, however, he gave up composing almost completely. The Vianna da Motta International Piano Competition was founded in Lisbon in 1951 in his memory.

Referee

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Phase Unit Role As
1924 Summer Olympics Art Competitions POR José Vianna da Motta
Music, Open (Olympic) Final Standings Judge