DelgadilloLuis Abraham Delgadillo (August 25, 1887December 20, 1961) was a Nicaraguan composer. He was director-general of musical culture for Nicaragua and later led the National School of Music in Managua and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Biography

Luis Abraham Delgadillo was born on August 26, 1887, in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, where he was first educated.Delgadillo, Luis (Abraham) (August 26, 1887, Managua – December 20, 1961, there). (2003). In D.M. Randel (Ed.), ''The harvard biographical dictionary of music''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. He then studied music at the Milan Conservatory in Italy at the initiative of the Nicaraguan government, for five years. Upon his return to Nicaragua, Delgadillo took conductorship of the Banda de los Supremos Poderes (Band of the Supremos Poderes). He was also made the first director-general of musical culturethe position having been created specifically for him. From 1921 to 1925 he lived in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

where he taught music theory at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música. Delgadillo conducted at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in New York City in 1930. He was in New York when the

1931 Nicaragua earthquake The 1931 Nicaragua earthquake devastated Nicaragua's capital city Managua on 31 March. It had a moment magnitude of 6.1 and a maximum MSK intensity of VI (''Strong''). Between 1,000 and 2,450 people were killed. A major fire started and destroye ...

occurred, composing ''Romance Oriental'' (Eastern Romance) in response. He taught composition in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

for two years beginning in 1943, simultaneously editing the journal ''Armonía''. Delgadillo founded Nicaragua's National School of Music and a symphony orchestra. He directed both of these organizations beginning in 1950. He died on December 20, 1961, in Managua.

Work and legacy

Delgadillo composed over 400 works of music, including nine "major orchestral works"; ''Final de Norma'', an opera; and over sixty works for the piano, twenty-four of which were dedicated to

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. Much of his work was inspired by native music of Nicaragua and Guatemala, and Delgadillo may have been the first composer to research Nicaraguan folk music. In 2008 Delgadillo was described in ''Culture and Customs of Nicaragua'' as one of the "four most important academic composers in the history of music in Nicaragua", in addition to Alejandro Vega Matus, Carlos Alberto Ramirez, and

José de la Cruz Mena José de la Cruz Mena (3 May 187422 September 1907) was a Nicaraguan composer. When he was twenty-one years old he contracted leprosy, but continued to compose until his death twelve years later. Mena is considered to have been one of the most pr ...

. ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'' says that he "was the first Nicaraguan to write large orchestral works and remains the Nicaraguan classical composer with the greatest exposure on the American continent." The '' Harvard Dictionary of Music'' describes Delgadillo as "the foremost figure in Nicaraguan music."

References

Bibliography

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