He was born in Barcelona on August 21, 1906. In 1922 he finished his baccalaureate and violoncello studies and performed until 1929 as a violoncellist practicing piano and composition (on a self-taught basis) at the same time that he studied for his engineering degree, a profession which he practiced until 1971. He died on September 9, 2003.
Between the years 1931 and 1936 he extended his music studies studying with the composer Robert Gerhard (Valls, 1896 ' Cambridge, 1970).
The musical production corpus of Joaquim Homs includes more than 200 works of different instrumental and vocal genres, played in festivals such as the Sociedad Internacional de Música Contemporánea (SIMC) in Paris (1937), Warsaw (1939) and Stockholm (1956). His compositions have been also presented in multiple international music festivals in Spain as well as in Europe and throughout America.
Homs has written several works special-ordered by prestigious cultural organizations. A great part of his compositions have been performed in concerts and on radio stations in Spain and around the world.
Since 1928 he has worked as a music commentator in festivals and specialized magazines and since 1949 he has also been a lecturer and an organizer of concerts. In 1987, the musicology professorship of the University of Oviedo published his book Robert Gerhard and His Work. It was republished in 1991 by the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Library of Catalonia) in its original Catalan version winning the Premi Crítica Serra d'Or of investigation in March of 1992 (its version in English will be published shortly in co-edition with the English-Catalan Society of London). In 1996 the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya, in co-edition with Edicions Proa, dedicated the sixth volume of the collection 'Compositors Catalans' to the figure (person) of Joaquim Homs.
Homs has been awarded several honors and accolades, prizes and distinctions by the City Hall of Barcelona (Premio Ciudad de Barcelona, 1968; Medalla de Oro al Mérito Artístico, 1981) and by the Generalitat de Calalunya (Creu de Sant Jordi, 1986; Premio Nacional de Música, 1992; Premio Nacional de Cultura, 1999, in the modality of music).
In 1989 he joined the Real Academia Catalana de Bellas Artes de San Jorge (San Jorge Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts) as an elected member. In 1993 the Ministerio de Cultura (Culture Ministry) awarded him, by Royal Decree, the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes (Gold Medal to the Merit in the Fine Arts). In 1994 he was awarded the Premio de Honor de la Música Catalana (Prize of Honor in Catalan Music).
