John Brande Trend

Who was John Brande Trend?

John Brande Trend, or J.B. Trend, was a British Hispanist and the first Professor of Spanish at the University of Cambridge.

Born in Southampton, Trend was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he won an Exhibition to take the Natural Science Tripos. After serving in continental Europe during the First World War, he developed a keen interest in Spanish and the historiography of Spanish music.

In 1933 he was appointed to the first Chair in Spanish at Cambridge. His areas of expertise included a wide variety of topics, and he was known for such general works as his The Origins of Modern Spain.

He wrote on the composer Manuel de Falla, with whom Trend corresponded regularly, and he was the author of the first critical study of Falla’s work in English: Manuel de Falla and Spanish Music.