Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Falla's early musical studies were carried out in Cádiz - where he was
born - but in his early 20s he moved to Madrid to complete his training
at the capital's conservatory. For a while, to make ends meet, he wrote
"zarzuelas" (Spanish operettas), but his first fully mature work is
generally considered to be the opera La vida breve, which dates from
1904-05 (although it was not performed until 1913). His development was
given a decisive push by a long sojourn (1907-14) in Paris, which was
to become a second home for him; there he met and was influenced by
Debussy, Ravel, and his fellow expatriate Albéniz. But with the
exception of Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of
Spain), for piano and orchestra, most of the works by which Falla is
remembered were written after his return to Spain. The long list
includes the ballets El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) and El sombrero
de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat, which was commissioned by Sergei
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and first performed in its final, revised
version by that ensemble in London in 1919); the puppet opera El
retablo de maese Pedro (Master Pedro's Puppet Show), based on an
episode from Don Quixote (commissioned by the Princess de Polignac and
performed at her palace in Paris in June 1923 - Falla had conducted the
first concert performances three months before, in Seville, and the
first public puppet performance took place in London in 1924, conducted
by Malcolm Sargent); the Concerto for Harpsichord and five instruments
(written for the great harpsichord virtuoso Wanda Landowska and first
performed by her in Barcelona in 1926, with Falla conducting); and a
variety of other stage works and orchestral, vocal, chamber and piano
music. In 1920 Falla moved from Madrid back to his native Andalusia -
not to Cádiz, however, but to Granada, where he was in frequent contact
with the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca and other local
artists and literati. From 1926 to the end of his life, he was much
preoccupied by the composition of Atlántida, a grandiose oratorio based
on the poem of the same name by the 19th-century Catalan writer Jacinto
Verdaguer. Falla's health, which had never been good, began to
deteriorate seriously in the late 1920s, and it was not improved by his
awareness of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, which broke out in
1936. He was especially affected by the murder of Lorca (on whose
behalf he had tried, too late, to intervene with the civil authorities)
and the atrocities committed by Franco's falangist forces in the name
of the Catholic Church: Falla was extremely devout. In 1939 he sailed
for Argentina, where he eventually settled in Alta Gracia, in the
province of Córdoba. There he died of a heart attack, nine days before
his 70th birthday. Atlántida was eventually completed by another
Spanish composer, Ernesto Halffter. The English Falla expert Ronald
Crichton has written: "It is possible that the mainspring of Falla's
genius lay in the tension between the monk-like, frugal, celibate side
of his nature and the other side which could capture the alteration of
physical joy and despair in popular music and paint in sound feminine
portraits as complete and distinct as Salud in La vida breve, Candelas
in El amor brujo, the Miller's Wife in El sombrero de tres picos".
Falla himself wrote, in 1917, that "music is not, and should not, be
made to be understood, rather it is made to be experienced."COMPOSITIONS Falla Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Melodia, cello and piano (1897-99, unpub)
Mireya, after Mistral, flute, violin, viola, cello and piano (1899, unpub)
Piano Quartet (mvts 2 & 3 only) (1899, unpub)
Romanza, cello and piano (1899, unpub)
Serenata andaluza, violin and piano (1899, lost)
Nocturno, piano (1899)
Serenata andaluza, piano (1899)
Dos rimas, voice and piano (1899-1900, unpub)
Preludios, voice and piano (1900, unpub)
Cancion, piano (1900, unpub)
Valse-capricho, piano (1900)
Limosna de amour, zarzuela (1901)
Cortejo de gnomos, piano (1901, unpub)
Suite fantastica, piano (1901, lost)
Los amores de la Ines, zarzuela (1902)
Tus ojillos negros, voice and piano (1902)
Hoja de album, piano (1902, unpub)
El cornetin de ordenes, zarzuela (1903, lost)
La cruz de Malta, zarzuela (1903, lost)
Allegro de concierto, piano (1903, unpub)
La vida breve (Life is Short), opera (1904-05; rev. 1914-15)
Pieces espagnoles: Aragonesa, Cubana, Montanesa, Andaluza, piano (1902-08)
3 melodies, voice and piano (1909)
Oracion de las madres que tienen a sus hijos en brazos, voice and piano (1914, unpub)
Noches en los jardines de Espana (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), piano and orchesta (1911-15)
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), ballet w/mezzo-soprano (1914-15/1925) [orig. for voice, actors and chamber orchestra]
7 canciones populares espanolas (7 Popular Spanish Songs), voice and piano (1914-15)
El pan de ronda, voice and piano (1915, unpub)
Otello, incidental music (1915, lost)
Solea, incidental music, voice and guitar (1916, unpub)
El corregidor y la molinera, ballet (1916-17; revised and expanded as “The Three Cornered Hat”)
El sombrero de tres picos (The Three Cornered Hat), ballet (1918-19)
Fuego fatuo, opera, after Chopin (1918-19)
Fantasia betica, piano (1919)
Homenaje “Le tombeau de Claude Debussy”, guitar (1920)
Fanfare pur une fete, winds and percussion (1921, unpub)
El retablo de maese Pedro, puppet opera (1919-22)
Canto de los remeros del Volga, piano (1922, unpub)
Auto de los reyes magos, incidental music, after ancient Spanish music (1923)
Psyche, voice, flute, harp, violin, viola and cello (1924)
Concerto for harpsichord, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello (1923-26)
El gran teatro del mundo, incidental music (1927, unpublished)
Invocatio ad indeviduam Trinitatem, 3 female voices (1928, unpub)
Sinite parvulos, 3 children’s voices (1932, unpub)
Homenajes, orchestra
- a Claude Debussy, orchestra (1920) [after guitar piece, 1920]
- Fanfare sobre el nombre de E. F. Arbos, orchestra (1933)
- a Paul Dukas, orchestra (1935) [after piano piece, 1935]
- Pedrelliana, orchestra (1924-39)
La vuelta de Egipto, incidental music (1935, unpublished)
Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas, piano (1935)
Atlantida, cantata (1926-46, incomplete, completed by E. Halffter)
WORKS BY GENRE Falla Links ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Limosna de amour, zarzuela (1901)
Los amores de la Ines, zarzuela (1902)
El cornetin de ordenes, zarzuela (1903, lost)
La cruz de Malta, zarzuela (1903, lost)
La vida breve (Life is Short), opera (1904-05; rev. 1914-15)
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), ballet w/mezzo-soprano (1914-15/1925) [orig. for voice, actors and chamber orchestra]
El corregidor y la molinera, ballet (1916-17; revised and expanded as “The Three Cornered Hat”)
El sombrero de tres picos (The Three Cornered Hat), ballet (1918-19)
Fuego fatuo, opera, after Chopin (1918-19)
El retablo de maese Pedro, puppet opera (1919-22)
Orchestra
El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), ballet w/mezzo-soprano (1914-15/1925)
El sombrero de tres picos (The Three Cornered Hat), ballet (1918-19)
Homenajes, orchestra
- a Claude Debussy, orchestra (after guitar piece, 1920)
- Fanfare sobre el nombre de E. F. Arbos, orchestra (1933)
- a Paul Dukas, orchestra (after piano piece, 1935)
- Pedrelliana, orchestra (1924-39)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra or Ensemble
Noches en los jardines de Espana (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), piano and orchesta (1911-15)
Concerto for harpsichord, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello (1923-26)
Chorus w/Orchestra
Atlantida, cantata (1926-46, incomplete, completed by E. Halffter)
Chamber
Mireya, after Mistral, flute, violin, viola, cello and piano (1899, unpub)
Piano Quartet (mvts 2 & 3 only) (1899, unpub)
Fanfare pur une fete, winds and percussion (1921, unpub)
Concerto for harpsichord, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello (1923-26)
Solo Instrument
Melodia, cello and piano (1897-99, unpub)
Romanza, cello and piano (1899, unpub)
Serenata andaluza, violin and piano (1899, lost)
Homenaje “Le tombeau de Claude Debussy”, guitar (1920)
Piano
Nocturno, piano (1899)
Serenata andaluza, piano (1899)
Cancion, piano (1900, unpub)
Valse-capricho, piano (1900)
Cortejo de gnomos, piano (1901, unpub)
Suite fantastica, piano (1901, lost)
Hoja de album, piano (1902, unpub)
Allegro de concierto, piano (1903, unpub)
Pieces espagnoles: Aragonesa, Cubana, Montanesa, Andaluza, piano (1902-08)
Fantasia betica, piano (1919)
Canto de los remeros del Volga, piano (1922, unpub)
Pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas, piano (1935)
Vocal
Dos rimas, voice and piano (1899-1900, unpub)
Preludios, voice and piano (1900, unpub)
Tus ojillos negros, voice and piano (1902)
3 melodies, voice and piano (1909)
Oracion de las madres que tienen a sus hijos en brazos, voice and piano (1914, unpub)
7 canciones populares espanolas (7 Popular Spanish Songs), voice and piano (1914-15)
El pan de ronda, voice and piano (1915, unpub)
Solea, incidental music, voice and guitar (1916, unpub)
Psyche, voice, flute, harp, violin, viola and cello (1924)
Invocatio ad indeviduam Trinitatem, 3 female voices (1928, unpub)
Sinite parvulos, 3 children’s voices (1932, unpub)
Incidental/Film
Otello, incidental music (1915, lost)
Solea, incidental music, voice and guitar (1916, unpub)
Auto de los reyes magos, incidental music, after ancient Spanish music (1923)
El gran teatro del mundo, incidental music (1927, unpublished)
La vuelta de Egipto, incidental music (1935, unpublished)
FALLA LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Fantasía Bética by Manuel de Falla (Manuel Matarrita, OpusMusica)
The Home of Manuel de Falla (¡Viva Granada!)
Les introuvables de Manuel de Falla (Luis Díaz García, Opus Musica)
Manuel de Falla and the Alhambra (Manuela Mesa, OpusMusica)
Manuel de Falla: A Splash of Spanish Colour (The Independent)
Manuel de Falla and the Barcelona Press ... (Carol A. Hess)
Manuel de Falla and the Music of Faith (Joseph Horowitz, Post-Classical Ensemble)
Manuel de Falla, Continued (Symphony in C)
Manuel de Falla: Modernism in Spain, 1898-1936 (Walter A. Clark, BNET)
Manuel de Falla: Spanish Traditionalist and European Impressionist (James Ferguson)
Books
Manuel de Falla: a Bio-bibliography (Nancy Lee Harper, Greenwood Pr, books.google.com)
Manuel de Falla: His Life & Works (Manzani Diaz Agen, Gonzalo Armero, et al, Omnibus, books.google.com)
Manuel de Falla and Modernism in Spain, 1898-1936 (Carol A. Hess, University of Chicago Pr, books.google.com)
Sacred Passions: the Life and Music of Manuel de Falla (Carol A. Hess, Oxford Univ Pr, books.google.com)
Composer website
Casa Museo Manuel de Falla also here
Falla @ Wikipedia
Falla @ Answers.com
Falla @ BBC Music
Falla @ biographybase
Falla @ Bloomingdale School of Music
Falla @ cartage.org.lb
Falla @ Chester Novello
Falla @ ChoralWiki
Falla @ Classic Cat
Falla @ Classical.com
Falla @ Classical Archives
Falla @ Classical Composers Database
Falla @ Classical Musical Midi Page
Falla @ Classical Net
Falla @ ClassicsToday
Falla @ Decca Music Group
Falla @ Dilettante Music
Falla @ EconomicExpert
Falla @ Ediciones Manuel de Falla
Falla @ epdlp.com
Falla @ Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
Falla @ euroresidentes.com
Falla @ Facebook
Falla @ Fandango
Falla @ Film Score Monthly
Falla @ Find a Grave
Falla @ Flamenco World
Falla @ FugueMasters
Falla @ glbtq.com
Falla @ Humanities Web
Falla @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Falla @ IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
Falla @ Infography
Falla @ Infoplease
Falla @ Karadar Classical Music
Falla @ Kunst der Fuge
Falla @ Los Angeles Philharmonic
Falla @ Maurice Ravel Frontispice
Falla @ MSN Encarta
Falla @ Música Clásica
Falla @ MusicWeb International
Falla @ MySpaceMusic (1) and MySpaceMusic (2)
Falla @ NationMaster
Falla @ Naxos
Falla @ The New York Times
Falla @ NNDB
Falla @ NPRmusic
Falla @ Old Manuscripts & Incunabula
Falla @ Piano Society
Falla @ Picsearch
Falla @ The Post-Classical Ensemble
Falla @ REC Music Foundation /The Lied and Art Song Texts Page
Falla @ G. Schirmer
Falla @ StateUniversity.com
Falla @ Suite101.com
Falla @ WGUC
Streaming Audio
Falla @ The Classical MIDI Connection
Falla @ Classical Masterpieces
Falla @ Classical Archives
Falla @ Classical Musical Midi Page
Falla @ epdlp.com
Falla @ last.fm
Falla @ MySpaceMusic (1) and MySpaceMusic (2)
Falla @ NPRmusic
Falla @ PRX (Public Radio Exchange)
Falla @ Rhapsody
Recordings
Falla @ ArkivMusic
Falla @ ClassicsOnline
Falla @ Discogs
Falla @ YouTube
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