Though he was not a particularly prolific composer, Manuel
de Falla is nonetheless considered, along with Isaac Albéniz and Enrique
Granados, as one of the most important Spanish composers of the early 20th
century. Born in Cádiz on November 23, 1876, his first music lessons were given
by his mother and grandfather. He later took piano lessons from Alejandro Odero
and was introduced to the methods of harmony and counterpoing by Enrique Broca.
As a teenager, Falla also expressed an interest in literature and journalism,
but after attending a concert Edvard Grieg's music, determined that his calling
was music.
In 1896, Falla left Cádiz to study at the Real Conservatorio
de Música y Declamación in Madrid. His composition professor, Felipe Pedrell,
was a tremendous influence on the young musician, directing his attention
towards Spanish Renaissance music and folk music of the Iberian Peninsula. He
premiered several works while in Madrid, but by far his most important was the
one-act opera La vida breve (The Brief Life), composed in 1905. The
opera won Falla first prize in a composition contest held by the Real Academia
de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, but curiously was not premiered until 1913.
At the urging of fellow composer Joaquín Turina, Falla moved
to Paris in 1907. There he was entranced by the Impressionistic style of Claude
Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Paul Dukas, which had profound influence on his
composition efforts. In the works that
followed—the two ballets El amor brujo (Wicked Love) and El sombrero de tres picos (The
Three-Cornered Hat), and Nights in
the Gardens of Spain for piano and orchestra—Falla fused this newfound
source of inspiration in French music with his already folk-infused style. It
is upon these three works that Falla's reputation today greatly rests.
The outbreak of World War I prompted Falla to return to
Madrid, but in 1921 he moved to Granada. His style changed once again during this
period when he fell under the spell of Igor Stavinsky's neo-Classicism. His
most prominent works from this period are the puppet opera El retablo de maese Pedro (Master
Peter's Puppet Show) based on a scene from Don Quixote, and a concerto for harpsichord, which incidentally was
the first such piece written for the instrument in the 20th century.
After 1939, Falla lived in Argentina. Initially,
he had travelled there for a conducting engagement but was inclined to stay
after Francisco Franco's successful coup in the Spanish Civil War and the
spread of fascism in his native land. Though being named a Knight of the Order
of King Alfonso X of Castile and awarded a generous pension by Franco's
government if he would return to Spain, Falla refused. Officially retired,
Falla spent his final years working on a grand cantata, Atlántida (Atlantis). He
died on November 14, 1946, leaving the cantata unfinished.
Manuel de Falla
Biography
Though he was not a particularly prolific composer, Manuel de Falla is nonetheless considered, along with Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados, as one of the most important Spanish composers of the early 20th century. Born in Cádiz on November 23, 1876, his first music lessons were given by his mother and grandfather. He later took piano lessons from Alejandro Odero and was introduced to the methods of harmony and counterpoing by Enrique Broca. As a teenager, Falla also expressed an interest in literature and journalism, but after attending a concert Edvard Grieg's music, determined that his calling was music.
In 1896, Falla left Cádiz to study at the Real Conservatorio de Música y Declamación in Madrid. His composition professor, Felipe Pedrell, was a tremendous influence on the young musician, directing his attention towards Spanish Renaissance music and folk music of the Iberian Peninsula. He premiered several works while in Madrid, but by far his most important was the one-act opera La vida breve (The Brief Life), composed in 1905. The opera won Falla first prize in a composition contest held by the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, but curiously was not premiered until 1913.
At the urging of fellow composer Joaquín Turina, Falla moved to Paris in 1907. There he was entranced by the Impressionistic style of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Paul Dukas, which had profound influence on his composition efforts. In the works that followed—the two ballets El amor brujo (Wicked Love) and El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat), and Nights in the Gardens of Spain for piano and orchestra—Falla fused this newfound source of inspiration in French music with his already folk-infused style. It is upon these three works that Falla's reputation today greatly rests.
The outbreak of World War I prompted Falla to return to Madrid, but in 1921 he moved to Granada. His style changed once again during this period when he fell under the spell of Igor Stavinsky's neo-Classicism. His most prominent works from this period are the puppet opera El retablo de maese Pedro (Master Peter's Puppet Show) based on a scene from Don Quixote, and a concerto for harpsichord, which incidentally was the first such piece written for the instrument in the 20th century.
After 1939, Falla lived in Argentina. Initially, he had travelled there for a conducting engagement but was inclined to stay after Francisco Franco's successful coup in the Spanish Civil War and the spread of fascism in his native land. Though being named a Knight of the Order of King Alfonso X of Castile and awarded a generous pension by Franco's government if he would return to Spain, Falla refused. Officially retired, Falla spent his final years working on a grand cantata, Atlántida (Atlantis). He died on November 14, 1946, leaving the cantata unfinished.