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

Biography

Between 1974 and 2003, he was the head of the department of Compositions and Musical Forms (Composición y Formas Musicales) of the

Madrid Royal Conservatory The Madrid Royal Conservatory ( es, Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid) is a music college in Madrid, Spain. History The Royal Conservatory of Music was founded on July 15, 1830, by royal decree, and was originally located in Mosten ...

, and in 1982 he was elected a member of the

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal acad ...

in Madrid. In 1994, he was awarded Spain's

Premio Nacional de Música The National Music Award ( es, Premio Nacional de Música, links=no) is one of Spain's annual National Awards by the Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Mini ...

for composition, and in 2008, he was also named a member of the

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia (Spanish for ''Saint Charles Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Valencia'') has been a Spanish Art school in Valencia since 1768. History The institution is deemed to be the follow-on instit ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. He died on 17 March 2021, at the age of 87 from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Spain The COVID-19 pandemic in Spain has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Spain on 31 January 2020, when a German tourist tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in La Gomera, Canary Island ...

Works

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 ''Fortunata y Jacinta'' (Fortunata and Jacinta), was written by Benito Pérez Galdós in 1887 and published in the same year. It is, together with Leopoldo Alas y Ureña's '' La Regenta'' (The Judge's Wife), one of the most popular and represe ...

'', '' Anillos de oro'', '' Segunda enseñanza'', '' Brigada Central'', ''

Ramón y Cajal Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contes ...

'', ''

La ciudad no es para mí La ciudad no es para mí () is a 1966 Spanish comedy film directed by Pedro Lazaga and based on the play of the same name by Fernando Lázaro Carreter published under the pen name Fernando Ángel Lozano. It stars Paco Martínez Soria as Agust ...

'' and '' Compuesta y sin novio''. In 1966, he composed the soundtrack for the film ''

Texas, Adios ''Texas, Adios'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Texas, addio'') is a 1966 Italian/Spanish international co-production Spaghetti Western film directed by Ferdinando Baldi and starring Franco Nero. It is often referenced in connection with ''Django ...

,'' a

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

starring

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...

. Also, in 1969, he worked alongside

Rafael Romero Marchent Rafael Romero Marchent (3 May 1926 – 13 February 2020) was a Spanish director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Madrid, the son of the author Joaquín Romero Marchent Gómez de Avellaneda, he started his career as an actor, mai ...

, 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 Amando de Ossorio (6 April 1918 – 13 January 2001) was one of the foremost Spanish horror film directors during the European horror film surge in the 1970s, known especially for his "Blind Dead" tetralogy. Biography De Ossorio directed a sho ...

's ''Blind Dead'' series of films, being ''

Tombs of the Blind Dead ''Tombs of the Blind Dead'' is a 1972 Spanish-Portuguese horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio. Its original Spanish title is ''La noche del terror ciego'' ( English: ''The Night of the Blind Terror''). The film was the first in ...

'' (1972), ''

Return of the Blind Dead ''Return of the Blind Dead'', also known as ''The Return of the Evil Dead'' and ''El ataque de los muertos sin ojos'' (literal translation: ''Attack of the Eyeless Dead''), is a 1973 Spanish horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio. T ...

'' (1973), ''

The Ghost Galleon ''The Ghost Galleon'' also known as ''El buque maldito'', is a 1974 Spanish horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio and starring Jack Taylor. It has numerous alternate titles, including ''The Blind Dead 3'', ''Horror of the Zombies ...

'' (1974) and ''

Night of the Seagulls ''Night of the Seagulls'' (Original Spanish: ''La noche de las gaviotas'', also known as ''Don't Go Out at Night'', and ''Night of the Death Cult'') is a 1975 Spanish horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio. The film is the fourth an ...

'' (1975).

Compositions

* 1969. Twelve songs to texts by

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numerou ...

(for voice and orchestra) * 1972. '' Hemeroscopium'' (for orchestra) * 1976. ''Concierto aguediano'' (for guitar and orchestra) * 1985. ''Evocaciones'' (for solo guitar) * 1986. ''Concierto mudéjar'' (for guitar and orchestra) * 1987. ''

Vademecum A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference. The term originally applied to a small or portable book containing information useful for its owner, but the ''Oxford Engl ...

'' (a collection of 12 pieces for the guitar) * 1992. '' Divinas palabras'' (opera after

Ramón del Valle-Inclán Ramón María del Valle-Inclán y de la Peña (in Vilanova de Arousa, Galicia, Spain, 28 October 1866 – Santiago de Compostela, 5 January 1936) was a Spanish dramatist, novelist and member of the Spanish Generation of 98. He is considered per ...

, premiered 1997 with

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

) * 1994. ''Concierto'' (for piano and orchestra) * 1996. '' Nocturnos de la Antequeruela'' (for piano and orchestra) * 1999. '' Concierto de las tierras altas'' (for cello and orchestra) * 2001. '' Concierto de la Malvarrosa'' (for flute, piano and strings) * 2007. '' Alba de los caminos'' (for piano and string quintet) * 2012. ''Cantos de Ordesa'', Concerto for viola and orchestra

Music for films and television

Between 1956 and 1994, Antón García Abril created more than 150 compositions for movies and television. He has provided soundtracks for the films: * 1962. '' La muerte silba un blues'' * 1964. ''

La chica del trébol ''La chica del trébol'' is an album by Spanish singer and actress singer Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and a ...

'' * 1965 ''

La corrida LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' (Documentary short) * 1965 '' Un vampiro para dos'' * 1965 '' El tímido'' * 1965 '' El cálido verano del Sr. Rodríguez'' * 1966. ''

'' * 1966. ''

'' * 1967. ''

Maneater of Hydra ''Maneater of Hydra'' is a Spanish–German co-production released in 1967 directed by American expatriate Mel Welles. The alternate titles include ''La isla de la muerte'', ''Island of the Doomed'' and ''The Blood Suckers'' (U.K. title). The hor ...

'' * 1967. '' The Cobra'' * 1967. ''

Sor Citroën ''Sor Citroën'', or ''Sor Citroen'', is a 1967 Spanish comedy film directed by Pedro Lazaga and starring Gracita Morales as Sister Tomasa, a nun who drives a Citroën 2CV. Plot A community of nuns who run an orphanage for girls decides to ge ...

'' * 1969. '' Awkward Hands'' * 1971. '' The Werewolf vs. The Vampire Woman'' * 1972. ''

'' * 1972. '' Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo'' * 1972. ''

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''. ; ;

'' * 1973. ''

Curse of the Devil ''El Retorno de Walpurgis'' (''The Return of Walpurgis'', also known as ''Curse of the Devil'') is a 1973 Mexican-Spanish co-production horror film that is the seventh in a twelve-film series about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by ...

'' * 1973. ''

'' * 1974. '' The Loreley's Grasp'' * 1974. ''

'' * 1975. '' A Long Return'' * 1975. ''

'' * 1984. ''

Los santos inocentes ''Los santos '' or ''The Holy Innocents'' is a Spanish drama film directed by Mario Camus, based on famous Miguel Delibes' novel of the same title. The movie stars Alfredo Landa and Francisco Rabal, who both won the Best Actor Award at the 1984 C ...

'' * 1987. ''

Monsignor Quixote ''Monsignor Quixote'' is a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1982. The book is a pastiche of the classic 1605 and 1615 Spanish novel ''Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes with many moments of comedy, but also offers reflection on matters ...

'' He also created the soundtracks of the television series: * 1974. '' El hombre y la Tierra'' * 1980. ''

'' * 1983. '' Anillos de oro'' * 1986. '' Segunda enseñanza'' * 1972. '' Los camioneros''

Honours

* Knight Grand Cross of the

Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise The Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise ( es, Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio) is a Spanish civil order established in 1939, recognising activities in the fields of education, science, culture, higher education and research. The order was create ...

(Kingdom of Spain, 16 December 2005).Boletín Oficial del Estado
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References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Abril, Anton 1933 births 2021 deaths People from Teruel Academics of the Madrid Royal Conservatory Madrid Royal Conservatory alumni Spanish classical composers Spanish male classical composers Spanish film score composers Male film score composers Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain