A Canadian composer of Spanish origin born August 5, 1943 in Valencia (Spain) who died January 10, 2023 in Montréal (Canada).
A pianist by training, José Evangelista studied composition with Vicente Asencio at the Valencia Conservatory in Spain and thereafter with André Prévost at Montreal University and with Bruce Mather at McGill University (Canada).
His travels in Indonesia, notably in Bali and Java, then in Burma, where he studied the Javanese gamelan and Burmese piano, left a deep impression on his conception of music. On the fringes of dominant trends, he abandoned counterpoint and harmony in order to work exclusively with melody. He developed a heterophonic style in which melodic lines, producing echoes of themselves, create the illusion of polyphony. His works reflect the influence of his Spanish origins, of the Western avant-garde and of various types of modal music as well as his fascination for the Indonesian gamelan.
Evangelista has composed works for solo instrument (Monodias españolas for piano, 1988), for instrumental ensemble (Clos de vie, 1983; O Bali, 1989), for orchestra (Piano concertant, 1986; Alap et Gat, 1998) as well as for voice (O quam suavis est for mixed chorus, 1987; Voix et espace for six singers, 2004; Cantares for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra, 2010).
A teacher at Montreal University, he has received many commissions and his music is played throughout the world.