Ruperto Chapí y Lorente (27 March 1851 – 25 March 1909) was a Spanish composer, and co-founder of the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers.

Biography

Chapí was born at Villena, the son of a local barber. At just nine years old, he joined the Música Nueva band (current Villena Municipal Band) where he would soon become a virtuoso and of which he would end up being director at only 15 years old. He would gain some fame as an interpreter in the surroundings of the Moors and Christians Festival of Villena, also being highly sought after in those of other nearby towns. In the Valencian-speaking towns, to the north and northeast of Villena, he was popularly known as "el xiquet de Villena" and they continually disputed hiring him, given his brilliance. He keep training in his home town and in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

when he was 16 years old. He wrote many symphonic, band, choral and chamber works, as well as ''

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...

s'' and

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, becoming, alongside Tomás Bretón, a fellow pupil of Emilio Arrieta at the Madrid Conservatory. He was one of the most popular and important composers of his time. He wrote zarzuelas in all shapes and sizes, including the three-act ''zarzuela grande'' and the one-act '' género chico'' forms. His most celebrated work is '' La revoltosa'', written in the latter style. Many of the preludes to his ''zarzuela''s (including those to ''El tambor de granaderos'' and ''La patria chica'') have remained staple items in Spanish orchestral concerts. He died in Madrid in 1909.

Symphonic works

* ''Sinfonía en Re'' (Symphony in D) (by 1879) * ''Escenas de capa y espada'' (Scenes of Cloak and Sword), symphonic poem (1876) * ''La Corte de Granada: Fantasía Morisca'' (The Court at Granada: Moorish Fantasy; 1873/1879) * ''Polaca de concierto'' (Concert Polka; 1879) * ''Los gnomos de la Alhambra'' (The Gnomes of the Alhambra; 1891) * ''Combate de Don Quijote contra las Ovejas'' – Scherzo (Don Quixote's Fight against the Windmills; 1902) * ''La Revoltosa'', Orchestral Fantasy (1897)

Chamber music

* String quartet No. 1 in G major (1903) * String quartet No. 2 in F minor (1904) * String quartet No. 3 in D major (1905) * String quartet No. 4 in B minor (1907)

Principal zarzuelas and operas

* ''

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'', opera in 3 acts (1878) * '' Música clásica'', zarzuela in 1 act (1880) * '' La serenata'', opera in 1 act (1881) * ''La tempestad'', zarzuela in 3 acts (1882) * ''La bruja'', zarzuela in 3 acts (1887) * ''El milagro de la Virgen'', zarzuela in 3 acts (1884) * ''Las hijas del Zebedeo'', zarzuela in 2 acts (1889) * ''El rey que rabió'', zarzuela in 3 acts (1891) * ''Curro Vargas'', zarzuela in 3 acts (1898) * ''El tambor de granaderos'', zarzuela in 1 act (1894) * '' Las bravías'', zarzuela in 1 act (1896) * '' La revoltosa'', zarzuela in 1 act (1897) * ''La chavala'', zarzuela in 1 act (1898) * ''El barquillero'', zarzuela in 1 act (1900) * '' El puñao de rosas'', zarzuela in 1 act (1902) * ''La venta de Don Quijote'', zarzuela in 1 act (1902) * ''Circe'', opera in 3 acts (1902) * ''La patria chica'', zarzuela in 1 act (1907) * '' Margarita la tornera'', opera in 3 acts (1909)

References

External links

*
Ruperto Chapí recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapi, Ruperto 1851 births 1909 deaths 19th-century Spanish male composers Madrid Royal Conservatory alumni Spanish male opera composers People from Alto Vinalopó Spanish classical composers Spanish opera composers Villena