Antón García Abril

Antón García Abril
Born19 May 1933
Teruel, Spain
Died17 March 2021(2021-03-17) (aged 87)
Madrid, Spain
GenresFilm score, classical
Occupation(s)Composer, musician

Antón García Abril OAXS (19 May 1933 – 17 March 2021) was a Spanish composer and musician.[1] He composed many classical orchestral works, chamber and vocal pieces, as well as over 150 scores for film and television.

Biography[edit]

Between 1974 and 2003, he was head of the department of Compositions and Musical Forms (Composición y Formas Musicales) of the Madrid Royal Conservatory, and in 1982 he was elected a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. In 1994, he was awarded Spain's Premio Nacional de Música for composition, and in 2008, he was also named a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos in Valencia.

He died on 17 March 2021, at the age of 87 from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.[2][3]

Classical Works[edit]

García Abril has composed as many orchestral works as he has chamber and vocal pieces, and he has composed music for films and television series such as El hombre y la Tierra, Fortunata y Jacinta, Anillos de oro, Segunda enseñanza, Brigada Central, Ramón y Cajal, La ciudad no es para mí and Compuesta y sin novio.

In 1966, he composed the soundtrack for the film Texas, Adios, a Spaghetti Western starring Franco Nero. Also, in 1969, he worked alongside Rafael Romero Marchent, a film director from Madrid, on the soundtrack of the movie Awkward Hands, another Spaghetti Western. He also composed the music for Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead series of films, being Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972), Return of the Blind Dead (1973), The Ghost Galleon (1974) and Night of the Seagulls (1975).

List of works[edit]

Opera[edit]

Ballets[edit]

Incidental Music[edit]

  • Un Millón de Rosas (1971)
  • Mata-Hari (1983)

Orchestral Works[edit]

  • Concerto for Bow Instruments (1963)
  • Hemeroscopium, Concerto for Orchestra (1972)
  • Celibidachiana (1982)
  • Introduction and Fandango, based on Bocherini's String Quintet in D major Op.40 No.2 (1984)
  • Three Sonatas for Orchestra, based on Soler's three sonatas (1984)
  • Canciones y Bailes para Dulcinea (1985)
  • Overture for the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain (1987)
  • Cantos de Pleamar, for String Orchestra (1993)
  • Alhambra (1998)
  • Cartas a un Amigo (1998)
  • La Fuerza de la Creación, for the SGAE (1999)
  • El Mar de las Calmas (2000)
  • Three Scenes from the Ballet "La Gitanilla" (2003)
  • Memorandum (2004)
  • Castilla y León, Patrimonio de la Humanidad (2004)
  • Alba de Soledades for String Orchestra (2006)
  • Lumen (2008)

Concertante[edit]

  • Piano Concerto (1957-66, rev 1994)
  • Cadencias, Violin Concerto (1972)
  • Concierto Aguediano, Guitar Concerto No.1 (1978)
  • Homenaje a Sor, Four Studies for Guitar and Orchestra (1978)
  • Concierto Mudéjar, Guitar Concerto No.2 (1983)
  • Nocturnos de la Antequerela, for Piano and String Orchestra (1996)
  • Concierto de las Tierras Altas, Cello Concerto (1999)
  • Concierto de la Malvarrosa, Double Concerto for Piano, Flute and String Orchestra (2001)
  • Juventus, Double Piano Concerto (2002)
  • Concierto de Gibralfaro, Double Guitar Concerto (2003)
  • Alba de los Caminos, for Piano and String Orchestra (2007)
  • Cantos de Ordesa, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (2012)

Voice and Orchestra[edit]

  • Three Spanish Songs, for soprano and orchestra (1962)
  • Cantico delle Creature, for four vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra (1964)
  • Homenaje a Miguel Hernández, for baritone/bass and orchestra (1965)
  • Twelve Songs on Texts by Rafael Alberti, for voice and orchestra (1969)
  • Cántico de "La Pietá", for soprano, cello, organ, mixed choir and string orchestra (1977)
  • Alegrías, Cantata-Divertimento for mezzo-soprano, child reciter, mixed children choir and orchestra (1979)
  • Asturian Songs on texts by José León Delestal, for voice and orchestra (1984)
  • Salmo de Alegría para el Siglo XXI on texts by Rafael Alberti, for soprano and string orchestra (1988)
  • Anthem of Aragón, for mixed chorus and orchestra (1988)
  • Cancions Xacobeas, Hommage to Galician Poetry for voice and orchestra (1993)
  • Lur Kantak, Cantata for large mixed chorus and orchestra (1997)
  • Anthem for the Charles III University, for chorus and orchestra (1999)
  • Two Carols for the New Millenium, on texts by Antonio Gala and for chorus and orchestra
  • Chant of the Seven Stars, for chorus and orchestra (2004)
  • Salve, for soprano, cello, organ, choir and string orchestra (2004)
  • 1985. Evocaciones (for solo guitar)
  • 1987. Vademecum (a collection of 12 pieces for the guitar)

Music for films and television[edit]

Between 1956 and 1994, Antón García Abril created more than 150 compositions for movies and television. He has provided soundtracks for the films:

Honours[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hilary Hahn performs Antón García Abril | A Spanish cultural event in Washington, D.C. on 10/28/2016". SPAIN arts & culture is the official website for the promotion of Spain's arts and culture in the USA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  2. ^ Muere el compositor Antón García Abril, autor de más de 200 bandas sonoras y de la inolvidable música de 'El hombre y la tierra Archived 18 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Muere García Abril, un músico culto y popular Archived 13 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  4. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2018.

External links[edit]