PER LA FLOR DEL LLIRI BLAU for Symphonic Band by JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (Spain, 1901 – 1999)
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[#357] May 25, 2026
Spain | 1934 | Symphonic Band | Grade 6 | 19' | Symphonic Poem
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Per la flor del lliri blau (for the flower of the blue lily), by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo is our Composition of the Week.
The work was first performed in Valencia on 26 July 1934 by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Valencia under the baton of José Manuel Izquierdo. In that same year it was awarded the prize for best symphonic poem by Valencia’s Fine Arts Society.
Rodrigo himself transcribed the piece for wind band.
Composed for substantial orchestral forces, this symphonic poem is based on a medieval Valencian legend: the three sons of a dying king go on a quest for the flower of the blue lily, whose magic powers will save their father. The youngest finds it but is killed by his ambitious brothers.
Musically, the poem is constructed around two principal motifs, one lyrical, the other epic in nature, one of the earliest examples of this kind of noble, courtly music to appear in the composer’s production.”
Per la flor del lliri blau is scored for symphonic band, including harp and double bassoon. It has a duration of around 19 minutes.
Rodrigo lost his sight at an early age after contracting diphtheria. Despite his handicap, Rodrigo studied music with Francisco Antich in Valencia and with Paul Dukas in Paris. In 1925 he received the Spanish National Prize for Orchestra for his work Cinco piezas infantiles (Five Pieces for Children). Beginning in 1947 Rodrigo was a professor of music history at the University of Madrid, holding the Manuel de Falla Chair of Music.
In 1939 he composed the famous Concierto de Aranjuez, a concerto for solo classical guitar and orchestra. The tremendous success of the concerto catapulted Rodrigo to international fame, and led to commissions from many notable artists, including James Galway, Andres Segovia, and Julian Lloyd-Webber.
In 1991 he was made nobility by King Juan Carlos, who gave him the title Marqués de los Jardines de Aranjuez (Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez), and in 1996 he received Spain's highest civilian honor, the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award.
Other music for winds include:
• Homenaje a la Tempranica (arr : Gómez) (1939) 4’
• Homenaje a Sagunto (1955) 3’30
• Adagio para instrumentos de viento (1966) 10’
• Pasodoble para Paco Alcalde (1975) 4’
More on Joaquín Rodrigo
