Macedonio Alcalá Prieto (September 12, 1831 in

Oaxaca, Oaxaca Oaxaca de Juárez (), or simply Oaxaca (Valley Zapotec: ''Ndua''), is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of Oaxaca, the most populous municipality in O ...

– August 24, 1869 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca) was a Mexican

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist,

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

remembered today especially for his

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

, "" (God Never Dies). Alcalá was born in the City of Oaxaca in 1831. He showed an early interest in music and began attending a school established by Professor José Domingo Martinez. His musical talent was soon evident, and he learned to play the piano, cello, viola, flute, and ophicleide. He was an accomplished musician with all these instruments, but his main instrument was the violin. As a violinist, he was in demand not only in the churches but also at popular dances and social gatherings. His persistence and dedication were rewarded by a scholarship from the State of Oaxaca, allowing him to continue his studies in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. At the conclusion of his studies he returned to Oaxaca, where he became a member of the Philharmonic Society of Santa Cecilia, an orchestra specializing in the performance of works of regional composers. A short time later he became the director of the Banda de Música de Oaxaca. A few years later he moved to Yanhuitlán. On July 30, 1854, Alcalá, 23, married Petronila Palacios, 21, of Yanhuitlán. They had three children, two boys, and a girl. Although he was recognized as an accomplished musician, he was unable to earn enough money in the profession to support his family. This led to depression and alcoholism. He intended to return to Oaxaca but fell ill of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. His brothers refused to help, but the Philharmonic Society of Santa Cecilia came to his aid, supplying a doctor, medicines, and other forms of support. During his convalescence, a delegation of Indigenous from a nearby town, Tlacolula, arrived with the request that he compose a waltz in honor of the Virgin Mary, patron of their town. Although still far from well, Alcalá worked hard on the waltz, "". It was a huge success from the first time it was played in public, and the town was very grateful. About 1867 he became professor of music at the Hacienda de la Concepción. He died in 1869 in Oaxaca. After his death, his brother Bernabé published "" under his own name, but natives of Tlacolula protested, and demonstrated that the work was really by Macedonio. The waltz is now the unofficial state anthem of Oaxaca. Oaxaqueños stand when they hear it. Alcalá was said to be passionate and high-strung, characteristics that distinguished his playing and his compositions. But he passed his life struggling with poverty, disease and alcoholism. Few of his compositions survive because he was remiss in transcribing his improvisations. Among the surviving works are "Marcha Funebre" (Funeral March), "Solo dios en los cielos" (Only God in Heaven), "El Cohete" (The Rocket), "Ave Maria" and of course the well-known waltz "". He died in Oaxaca in 1869, at the age of 37. A theater and a street are named for him in that city.

External links

Short biography

Short biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcala, Macedonio 1831 births 1869 deaths Mexican composers Mexican male composers People from Oaxaca City Mexican violinists Mexican pianists 19th-century composers 19th-century violinists Mexican male violinists 19th-century pianists Musicians from Oaxaca Male pianists 19th-century male musicians