Eduardo Mata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduardo Mata
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| Born | September 5, 1942 Mexico
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| Died | January 4, 1995 (aged 52) Cuernavaca, Mexico
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| Nationality | Mexican |
| Occupation | Conductor, composer |
Eduardo Mata (September 5, 1942 – January 4, 1995) was a very talented Mexican conductor and composer. A conductor leads an orchestra, helping all the musicians play together. A composer is someone who writes music. Eduardo Mata was famous for his skills in both these areas.
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His Life and Music
Eduardo Mata was born in Mexico City. He started learning to play the guitar when he was young. Later, he went to the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico. There, he studied how to write music, which is called composition. He learned from important teachers like Carlos Chávez.
In 1964, he received a special scholarship to study at Tanglewood in the United States. This helped him learn more about conducting and composing.
His Compositions
Eduardo Mata wrote many pieces of music in the 1950s and 1960s. These included three symphonies, which are long musical pieces for an orchestra. He also wrote chamber music, which is for a small group of instruments. Some of his works, like his Third Symphony, have been recorded so people can listen to them.
Leading Orchestras
In 1965, Eduardo Mata became the head of the Music Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He also started leading the Guadalajara Orchestra. Later, he conducted the university's own orchestra, which became the National Autonomous University of Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra (OFUNAM).
In 1972, he moved to the United States to become the main conductor of the Phoenix Symphony. The next year, he became their music director, a role he held until 1978.
Eduardo Mata was also a founding member of the Mahler Mexico Society. In 1975, he led Mexico's National Symphony Orchestra in playing all the symphonies by the famous composer Gustav Mahler. This was a big event in Mexico's music history.
From 1977 to 1993, he was the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He also traveled a lot, conducting many other orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. He recorded more than fifty albums with different orchestras, including the UNAM Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Eduardo Mata was about to start a new job as the main conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in January 1995. Sadly, he passed away before he could take on this new role.
His Passing
On January 4, 1995, Eduardo Mata was flying his own small plane from Cuernavaca, Mexico, to Dallas, Texas. Soon after taking off, one of the plane's engines stopped working. The plane crashed during an emergency landing attempt near Mexico City. Eduardo Mata and his passenger both died in the accident.
Selected Compositions
- Trio, for clarinet, drum, and cello (1957)
- Sonata, for piano (1960)
- Improvisaciones, for clarinet and piano (1961)
- Symphony No. 1 (1962)
- "Débora", ballet suite (1963)
- Los huesos secos (The Dry Bones), ballet (1963)
- Symphony No. 2 (1963)
- Aires (1964)
- Improvisación número 1, for string quartet and piano four-hands (1964)
- Improvisación número 2, for strings and two pianos (1965)
- Improvisación número 3, for violin and piano (1965)
- Sonata, for cello (1966)
- Symphony No. 3, for winds and horn (1966)
Selected Recordings
Eduardo Mata recorded many albums. Here are a few examples of his own music:
- Symphony No. 3, for wind orchestra and solo horn. Performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM.
- "Improvisación No. 2," for strings and two pianos. Performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM.
See also
In Spanish: Eduardo Mata para niños
