María Teresa Prieto facts for kids

María Teresa Prieto (born 1896, died 1982) was a talented Spanish composer. She lived and created music in Mexico for most of her life.

Her Life Story

María Teresa Prieto was born in Oviedo, Spain, in 1896. She came from a regular family in the Asturias region. She loved music from a young age.

She studied music with two important teachers in Spain. First, she learned from pianist and composer Saturnino del Fresno in Asturias. Later, she studied with Benito de la Parra at the Conservatory of Madrid.

In 1937, a big war called the Spanish Civil War started in Spain. Because of this, María Teresa moved to Mexico to stay with her brother, Carlos. In Mexico, she continued her music studies. She learned from famous composers like Manuel Ponce and Carlos Chávez.

Later, in 1946 and 1947, she traveled to the United States. She studied with Darius Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland, California.

María Teresa briefly returned to Spain in 1958. She received a special award, the Samuel Ross prize, for her music piece called Modal Quartet. However, she never moved back to Spain permanently. She continued to live and compose in Mexico.

Her Musical Works

María Teresa Prieto's music often used ideas from traditional folk songs and stories. She wrote many different types of music.

Selected Compositions

Here are some of her well-known works:

• Asturiana (1942) – a symphony, which is a long piece for an orchestra.
• Sinfonía breve (1945) – another symphony, meaning "short symphony."
• Sinfonía de la danza prima (1951) – a symphony inspired by a traditional dance.
• Impresión sinfónica (1940) – a piece for piano and a full orchestra.
• Palo verde (1967) – a ballet, which is music written for a dance performance.
• Cuadros de la naturaleza (1965–67) – this means "Pictures of Nature." It includes sections like Asturias and El valle de México. These sections show her love for both her homeland and her new home.

Recordings of Her Music

Her beautiful music has been recorded so people can listen to it today. You can find her work on CDs, such as:

• María Teresa Prieto: obra sinfónica (2005 and 2006) – this collection features her symphonic works. It was released by Diverdi.

See also

In Spanish: María Teresa Prieto para niños