Cristóbal Halffter facts for kids

Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina (born March 24, 1930 – died May 23, 2021) was a famous Spanish classical composer. He was the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter. Many people consider him one of the most important Spanish composers of his time.

Early Life and Education

Cristóbal Halffter was born in Madrid, Spain. In 1936, his family moved to Velbert, Germany. They did this to escape the Spanish Civil War. They came back to Madrid in 1939.

Halffter studied music at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. He learned from a teacher named Conrado del Campo. He finished his studies there in 1951. He also continued learning music in Paris. He studied with Alexandre Tansman and André Jolivet.

Music Career

In 1955, Halffter became the conductor of the Falla orchestra. He had a very successful career. He was both a composer and a conductor. His music often mixed traditional Spanish sounds with new, experimental styles. This new style is sometimes called avant-garde music.

His Piano Concerto (written in 1953) won a big award. It was called the National Music Prize in 1954. In 1961, he started teaching at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. He became the Director there in 1964, but he only stayed until 1966. Some of his well-known students include Jean-Luc Darbellay and David Philip Hefti.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Halffter wrote music about human rights. One important piece was a choral work from 1968. It was called Yes, speak out, yes. In 1984, he helped judge the Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition. He received Spain's highest award for composing in 1989. This award was the Premio Nacional de Música. He also won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in 2009.

Some of Halffter's famous works include his opera Don Quijote (from 2000). An opera is a play where the words are sung. His second opera, Lazarus, was first performed in 2008. This was at the Kiel Opera House in Germany. It was part of their 100th birthday celebration.

Personal Life and Death

Cristóbal Halffter was married to a pianist named María Manuela Caro. They had two sons and one daughter. María Manuela Caro passed away in 2017.

Cristóbal Halffter died peacefully on May 23, 2021. He was 91 years old. He passed away in Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain.

Selected Works

Cristóbal Halffter wrote many different types of music. Here are some of his notable compositions:

• Concerto for piano and orchestra (1953)
• String Quartet no. 1 (1955)
• Codex I for guitar (1963)
• Anillos, for orchestra (1966)
• Yes, speak out, yes, a cantata (1966)
• String Quartet no. 2 "Mémoires" (1970)
• Llanto por las víctimas de la violencia (Lament for the Victims of Violence), for a small group of instruments (1971)
• Platero y yo, for choir, solo singers, and a narrator (1974)
• Cello Concerto no. 1 (1974)
• Officium defunctorum, for orchestra and chorus (1979)
• Violin Concerto no. 1 (1979)
• Cello Concerto no. 2 ("No queda más que el silencio") (1985)
• Fandango, for cello octet (1989)
• Don Quijote, an opera (2000)
• String Quartet no. 7 Espacio de silencio (Space of Silence) (2007)
• Concerto for viola and orchestra (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Cristóbal Halffter para niños