Antonio Gallego Gallego facts for kids

Antonio Gallego Gallego (1942-2024) was a Spanish writer and musicologist. A musicologist is someone who studies music, its history, and how it's made. He was known for his important work in music, especially for helping to find a lost version of a famous Spanish ballet.

A Life in Music and Arts

Antonio Gallego was born in Zamora, Spain in 1942. He grew up in a place called La Vera. He studied many things, including music, law, and arts. He went to conservatories in Salamanca and Valladolid to learn music. He also studied law at the University of Salamanca. Later, he studied arts at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Teaching and Leadership Roles

Antonio Gallego learned from a famous teacher named Federico Sopeña. Gallego held many important jobs. He was a professor of music history at the Valencia Conservatory. He also taught musicology at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. Musicology is the deep study of music.

From 1980 to 2005, he led the cultural services at the Fundación Juan March. This foundation supports arts and culture. He also became a member of two important academies. In 1996, he joined the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. In 2002, he joined the Real Academia de Extremadura de las Letras y las Artes. He also helped start the Spanish Society of Musicology (SEdeM). He was even the director of its journal for a few years.

Writing for Opera

In 1992, Antonio Gallego wrote the words for an opera called Belisa. The words of an opera are called a libretto. He based it on a play by a famous writer, Federico García Lorca. The opera was first performed on May 15, 1992. It took place at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.

Discovering El amor brujo

One of Antonio Gallego's most famous achievements involves a work by Manuel de Falla. This work is called El amor brujo, which means Love, the Magician. It is a very important piece of Spanish music.

The Lost Versions

El amor brujo was first performed in April 1915 in Madrid, Spain. Manuel de Falla kept working on the music. He finished a new version in 1925, which premiered in Paris, France. However, the very first version from 1915 and another one from 1916 were thought to be lost. No one could find the original music scores.

Gallego's Discovery

In 1986, Antonio Gallego was given a special job. He was asked to organize all of Manuel de Falla's works. While doing this, Gallego found something amazing. He discovered the original 1915 version of El amor brujo! He found it among Falla's old sketches and notes. Gallego then put the pieces together to bring the lost music back to life. He wrote a book about this discovery. It is called Manuel de Falla y El amor brujo.

His Published Works

Antonio Gallego wrote many articles and over ten books. Here are some of his important books:

• La música en el Museo del Prado (The Music in the Prado Museum), 1972
• Música y Sociedad (Music and Society), 1977
• Catálogo de los dibujos de la Calcografía Nacional, 1978
• Historia del grabado en España (History of Spanish Engraving), 1979
• Catálogo de obras de Manuel de Falla (Manuel de Falla Works Catalog), 1987
• La música en tiempos de Carlos III (Music in the times of Charles III), 1989
• Manuel de Falla y El amor brujo, 1990
• Historia de la Música II (History of Music), 1997
• El arte de Joaquín Rodrigo (The art of Joaquin Rodrigo), 2003
• Al son del roncón. La música en los poetas asturianos (Music and the Asturian Poets), 2006

See also

In Spanish: Antonio Gallego Gallego para niños