20th century Spanish women composers: a creative group with its own characteristic voice

From the time of the appearance of a nun's name - Gracia Baptista - as the author of a brief work for keyboard on the hymn Conditor alme in the Libro de cifra nueva of Luis Venegas de Henestrosa, there have been many women composers - complete with full names - who have figured in the history of Spanish music. It should be recalled also that many of the best-known women figures in western music from previous centuries had been of Spanish origin, such as Mariana Martínez (1744-1812) or the famous daughters of Manuel García: María Malibran (1808-1836) and Pauline Viardot (1821-1910). We have before us a history that is still to be made public, a large amount of music as yet unknown and, as we shall hear on this recording, the prospect of many enjoyable discoveries.

Throughout the nineteenth century Spanish women composers were making their way in the professional field, having works published and completing their studies, including up to the level of receiving honorary mentions from the Real Conservatorio Superior in Madrid. At that time this institution provided an important route along which trod the great richness that the twentieth century was going to offer through our women musicians' creativity. Nor should one forget the vital work carried out by them in transmitting classical music and teaching it in both the public and the private educational spheres. With such a strong basis, it is not surprising that the twentieth century produced important female names in the field of composition and we have here an especially significant sample of it in this anthology provided by Marta Knörr and Aurelio Viribay. In it we can also observe the interest that many women composers showed in reaching out to the female world of Hispanic letters.

The century began in a very promising way; thus, within the musical generation that is known today - following the description coined by Adolfo Salazar - as the Generación de los Maestros, the names of many women appear, such as Emma Chacón, Onia Farga or Maria Luisa Bosch. Of particular note among them, María Rodrigo and Emiliana de Zubeldía stand out, who were born in the same year. They started their studies in Spain, but both died in exile in Latin America after the Civil War. María Rodrigo (Madrid, 1888-Puerto Rico, 1967) studied composition first at the Conservatorio in Madrid, with Emilio Serrano; later on, she furthered her training in Munich with a scholarship from the Junta de Ampliación de Estudios. To all intents and purposes she created her catalogue of works during the years leading up to the Civil War, at which point she decided to move to Puerto Rico. In that catalogue appear many chamber and orchestral scores, and with special attention also given to dramatic works, with operas such as Becqueriana (with a libretto by the Álvarez Quintero brothers, performed for the first time at the Teatro de La Zarzuela) and Canción de amor (with a text by Martínez Sierra). Her musical language is perfectly at one with that of the male composers of her generation, with some works remaining close to the spirit of the Romantic Salon, while others possessed greater harmonic complexity; more than anything else there are many scores marked by a nationalist stamp, such as can be seen in one of her better-known pieces, La copla intrusa. This was published by the Unión Musical Franco Española in 1930 in a version for piano, but was originally planned for and dedicated to the renowned Aguilar Lute Quartet (for whom Turina wrote La oración del torero at around that time). This work consists of two substantial sections, both scored using a form of nationalist language whilst being much contrasted and which then combine in a third and final part, leading up to a concluding coda. With the UME she also had published some of her songs: the triptych Ayes (1924), Disperté y la vi (1924; with lyrics by the Álvarez Quintero brothers), and Tú eres la rosa, yo soy el lirio (1930; text by Francisco Vighi), which also relate to the same nationalist style current in those times. In the case of the three Ayes, with the words in the score signed simply by Martínez Sierra (no forename appearing ahead of it), it is interesting to recall the celebrated, albeit somewhat symbolic, case of the married couple comprising Gregorio Martínez Sierra and María Lejárrega. Nowadays we are aware that to a large extent it was the wife who was the author of the literary work signed by her husband.

The life of Emiliana de Zubeldía (Salinas de Oro, Navarra, 1888-Sonora, Mexico, 1987) was long, intense and very active: she trained in Pamplona, Madrid and in Paris, leading an acclaimed career as pianist, orchestra conductor, composer and educator. She began her American period at the end of the 1920s, before finally settling in Mexico in 1937, having been attracted by the acoustic theories of Augusto Novaro. There she became involved in a substantial job of work, focused primarily on composition and teaching at the University of Sonora. Her extensive production includes symphonic and chamber music, as well as choral composition and a large number of works for the piano. Throughout her long life, she remained true to an enquiring and restless mind that led her to take an interest in and seek out her own and personal forms of expression. From the 1930s onwards, she embarked upon an original creative path following the premises of Novaro's musical theories. However, prior to this, she had produced a considerable number of pieces both those of a nationalist type and those which assimilated the avant-garde musical languages from the beginning of the century. Her Six Melodies Populaires Espagnoles (published by Max Eschig in 1927) are a good reflection of her nationalist output, in this case following a clear and straightforward line.

With names such as Rosa García Ascot, María de Pablos and María Teresa Prieto already known through their belonging to the Generación del 27 group, the female compositional line was to extend in subsequent years through the creative activity of women such as Carmen Santiago de Merás, Matilde Salvador and Elena Romero. Born in Oviedo in 1917, Carmen Santiago de Merás studied at the Conservatorio in Madrid with Enrique Aroca (piano), Rogelio del Villar and Julio Gómez (composition) before later on becoming a teacher there herself. Composer of an extensive number of works, she was especially drawn to both the vocal and piano genres; a good example of this are the three sparkling songs, selected for this recording, to poems by Campoamor and García Lorca. The Valencian Matilde Salvador (b1918) developed her compositional skills particularly with the aid of her husband Vicente Asencio, and has composed a considerable number of works, encompassing ballet, opera (Vinatea, 1973), orchestral pieces and a large quantity of songs, an area in which she has excelled since her younger days, of course, given the great sensitivity that she has always displayed in paying care and attention to the written word. On several occasions, she has set women's poetry in her songs: a splendid example of this being her beautiful cycle Canciones de nana y desvelo (1947) on exquisite poems by Carmen Conde (1907-1996).

The following decade saw the birth of Elena Romero (1923-1997), in Madrid. Among others, she studied with Frank Marshall, Ricardo Lamote de Grignon, Joaquín Turina and Julio Gómez. As well as having an active career as a pianist and orchestra conductor she created a body of work that includes symphonic, chamber and stage music (the ballet Títeres, an example of the last). In addition, there are especially attractive works for the piano, such as the Canto a Turina (1950), a beautiful and personal evocation of the nationalist style of her teacher.

The work of women composers can also be seen in the Cuatro canciones hispano-árabes by María Luisa Ozaita (Baracaldo, b1939), with texts by anonymous women poets. A composer and harpsichord player, she studied with Fernando Remacha, and has had a remarkable career in both specialities. She founded and has been the president of the Asociación de Mujeres en la Música, and in her strongly expressive work she makes use of avant-garde languages from the second half of the century, which she assimilated completely - something that can be observed in the great effectiveness of this cycle of songs built up from restrained resources and skilfully executed.

This anthology concludes chronologically with María Escribano (Madrid, 1954-2002), whose early death has deprived contemporary Spanish music of one of its most sincere and personal voices. Trained in her native city, she carried out an intense activity in the field of musical theatre for a long period of her career. Her great sensitivity came through both in her teaching work for children (she wrote very beautiful educational music) and in her interest in mystical research, which she was able to express in her work - mostly in chamber music - and where the leading role was taken by the piano, an instrument on which she was a noted improviser. In her music, she would often start using the basis of short cellular ideas, with which she would then create a beautiful 'shrouding' sensation, sometimes an almost hypnotic one, and it was for good reasons that the spiral effect was a form much loved by this composer. The two songs that appear in this selection, Mujer de aguas dulces and Habanera del agua, reflect her personality very effectively, both through the music and through the text (which was also written by María). In a certain way they can be considered as a striking musical farewell, for they were performed for the first time by Marta Knörr and Aurelio Viribay (it was dedicated to them both) in November 2002, just a month before the author's death.

Ana Vega Toscano