The death of Enrique Granados: context and controversy

Enrique Granados (b. 1867 in Lérida) ended his life in the cold waters of the English Channel after the ship on which he was sailing was attacked by a German submarine on March 24, 1916. He was returning from New York, where his opera Goyescas had premiered at the Metropolitan Opera. His career was at its pinnacle, and greater things were no doubt yet to come. Yet, despite the fact that this incident became an international scandal and provoked much outraged commentary, the attack itself has often been inaccurately reported and misinterpreted. Now, more than ninety years after Granados’s death, it is appropriate to examine once again this incident and clarify exactly what did and did not happen, and to gauge the impact of his shocking demise at that time and now. Enrique Granados (nacido en 1867 en Lérida) llegó a su fin en las aguas frías del Canal de la Mancha después que la nave en que navegaba fuera atacada por un submarino alemán el 24 de marzo de 1916. El compositor regresaba de Nueva York, donde su ópera Goyescas se estrenó en el Metropolitan Opera. Su carrera estaba en pleno apogeo, y cosas aún más grandes le iban a suceder, sin duda. No obstante, a pesar del hecho de que este incidente llegó a ser un escándalo internacional y provocó mucha controversia apasionada, el mismo ataque muchas veces ha sido imprecisamente relatado y mal interpretado. Ahora, más de noventa a os después de la muerte de Granados, es apropiado examinar una vez más este incidente y clarifi car exactamente qué pasó y qué no pasó, y juzgar el impacto de su espantoso fallecimiento entonces y ahora.