Tomás Marco facts for kids

Tomás Marco Aragón (born 12 September 1942) is a Spanish composer and writer. He is known for creating many different kinds of music and for his important work in the Spanish music world.

Life and Work of Tomás Marco

Tomás Marco was born in Madrid, Spain. He studied the violin and learned how to compose music. At the same time, he also studied law and finished his law degree in 1963. He started composing music in 1958.

In 1962, he went to the Darmstadt New Music Summer School in Germany. This was a special place where young composers could learn from famous musicians. There, he studied with important composers like Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1967, he even worked with Stockhausen on a group music project called Ensemble.

Tomás Marco's music style was influenced by the "Darmstadt School." This was a group of composers who explored new and experimental ways of making music. For example, his piece Transformación (1974) for 16 voices sounds a bit like György Ligeti's Lux aeterna.

Around 1970, Tomás Marco started using older music forms like the symphony and concerto in his new compositions. He also began to include parts of older music or ideas from famous composers like Gustav Mahler and Manuel de Falla. He wrote several important pieces for the guitar, including three concertos.

Besides composing, Tomás Marco has had a big impact on music in Spain. He worked as a music critic, writing about music for newspapers and magazines. In 1967, he helped start a magazine called Sonda, which was all about modern music. He also worked for Radio Nacional de España for eleven years.

He taught music history at a university and composition at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid. He also held important jobs managing music organizations. For example, he was the technical director of the Spanish National Orchestra. He also started and directed the Alicante International Contemporary Music Festival for eleven years. From 1996 to 1999, he was the Director General of the National Institute for Music and the Performing Arts.

Awards and Honours

Tomás Marco has received many awards for his work. He won the Spanish Premio Nacional de Música (National Music Prize) twice, first in 1969 and again in 2002.

In 1969, he won the Prix d’Honneur at the VI Bienalle de Paris. He also received prizes from the Gaudeamus Foundation in the Netherlands in 1969 and 1971. His composition Autodafé won the Golden Harp Prize in 1975. The next year, in 1976, he won the UNESCO Young Composers’ Prize. He also received an award for his work in radio in 1975.

In 1993, he became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, which is a very respected arts academy in Spain. In 1998, he received an honorary doctorate degree from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Tomás Marco's Compositions

Tomás Marco has written a wide variety of musical pieces. Here are some examples of his works:

Music for Theatre

• Anna Blume (1967)
• El caballero de la triste figura (The Knight of the Sad Figure), an opera based on Don Quijote (2004)
• Jabberwocky (1966)
• Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, a ballet (1985)
• El viaje circular (The Circular Journey), an opera based on the Odyssey (2002)

Film Music

• Módulo '74 (1974)
• Temporalidad interna (1970)

Choral and Vocal Music

These are pieces for choirs or singers.

• América, a cantata (2000)
• Apocalypsis, for a speaker, choir, and instruments (1976)
• Misa básica, for choir (1978)
• La Pasión segun San Marcos, for narrator, choirs, brass, and percussion (1983)
• Transfiguración, for 16 solo voices (1974)

Orchestral Music

These are pieces for a full orchestra.

• Anábasis (1970)
• Angelus novus (Mahleriana) (1971)
• Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1976)
• Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1971)
• Concierto del agua, for guitar and orchestra (1993)
• Symphony No. 1 "Aralar" (1976)
• Symphony No. 5 "Modelos de universo" (Universe Models) (1989)
• Symphony No. 8 "Gaia's Dance" (2008)

Chamber Music

These are pieces for small groups of instruments.

• Albor, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (1970)
• Dúo concertante no. 1, for two guitars (1974)
• Maya, for cello and piano (1968–69)
• Miró, for eight cellos (1993)
• String Quartet No. 1 ("Aura") (1968)
• String Quartet No. 7 ("Primus Circumdediste me") (2018)

Solo Instrumental Music

These are pieces for a single instrument.

• Albayalde, for guitar (1965)
• Sonata de fuego, for guitar (1990)
• Tarots, 22 pieces for guitar (1991)
• Algunas maneras de nombrar la lluvia, for marimba (2004)
• Astrolabio, for organ (1969–70)
• Le Palais du facteur cheval, for piano (1984)
• Sonata acueducto, for accordion (1999)
• Reloj interior, for contrabass (1971)
• Zobel, for solo flute (1984)

Writings by Tomás Marco

Tomás Marco has also written many books and articles about music. His writings often focus on Spanish music and modern music.

• Música española de vanguardia (Spanish Avant-garde Music) (1970)
• Historia de la música española (History of Spanish Music) (1983)
• Pensamiento musical y siglo XX (Musical Thought and the 20th Century) (2002)

See also

In Spanish: Tomás Marco para niños