Francisco Andreví y Castellar facts for kids

Francisco Andreví y Castellar (born November 7, 1786 – died November 23, 1853) was a talented composer from Catalonia, a region in Spain. He had Italian family roots.

Andreví began his music studies at just eight years old in a place called La Seu d’Urgell. When he was fifteen, he moved to Barcelona to continue his education and become a priest. There, he learned to play the organ from P. Quintana and studied composition with Francisco Queralt, who was the chapel master at the cathedral.

Early Career and Challenges

Just three years later, Andreví became an organist at the Teresianes convent and then at Magdalene's. In 1806, he won a competition to become the chapel master at Tarifa Cathedral. However, he couldn't start this job because of a war with the French.

At 21, he got the chapel master position in Segorbe, where he also became a priest and stayed for five years.

Becoming a Chapel Master

Francisco Andreví held many important chapel master roles throughout his life. From 1814 to 1819, he was the chapel master at Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona. Later, he worked at the cathedrals of Sogorb, Valencia, and Sevilla in 1830.

In 1831, he became the chapel master for the Royal Chapel in Madrid. This was a very important job, and he had to compete with other famous musicians like Francisco Jose Olivares and Hilarion Eslava to get it.

Time in France and Return

In 1836, Andreví left his position in Madrid because of some difficulties with the musicians in the chapel. He then moved to France, where he became the chapel master at Sant Andreu de Bordeus Cathedral. He later lived in Paris for a while, starting in 1845.

He returned to Barcelona in 1850 and became the chapel master at the Església de la Mercè. He stayed in this role until he passed away in 1853. Besides composing, he also taught music to many students who later became famous musicians themselves, such as Josep Reventós i Truch and Esteve Tusquets i Maignon.

Musical Compositions

Francisco Andreví wrote many musical pieces. A large number of his original handwritten works are kept at the Royal Chapel of Església de la Mercè in Barcelona.

Some of his notable works include:

• A Stabat Mater (a religious song about Mary's sorrow)
• A Requiem mass (a special mass for the dead)
• Several Lamentations (songs of sorrow)
• Two Miserere (psalms of repentance)
• El Judici Final: an oratorio (a large musical work for voices and orchestra, usually based on a religious story)
• La dolcesa en la virtut: a sacred drama (a play with music on a religious theme)

Published Books

While he was living in France, Andreví also published some important books about music:

• Traité d’Harmonie: This book about harmony was published in Paris in 1848.
• Tratado teórico de armonia y composición: This was the Spanish version of his harmony book, published in Barcelona in 1848.
• Recueil de Cantiques: A collection of hymns published in Paris.

Many of his musical pieces are still kept in different music collections across Catalonia, including the IFMuC (Catalan Music Fund Inventory) and other archives like TerC, MatC, SEO, and CdE.

See also