Spanish music critic, manager and writer. He was born in Bilbao on August 28, 1864. Brothers: José María (father's side only), Francisco Javier, María, Álvaro, Asunción, Ramón, Rosario, Ignacio (Count of Superunda), Javier and Ricardo de Gortázar and Manso de Velasco.

He started his musical education at the age of seven with the pianist Antolín Sáenz and the organist José Luis Muguerza. He graduated in Law, he studied at the universities of Madrid, Salamanca and Valladolid.

In 1884 he created the Sociedad de Cuartetos and the musical circle El Cuartito, the very beginning of the Philharmonic Society of Bilbao. Two years later, he founded the Choral Society and co-founded the Philharmonic Society of Bilbao. In 1903 he promoted the creation of the Music Academy of Vizcaya, of the "Revista Musical" in 1909, of the Music Conservatory of Vizcaya in 1920, and of the Symphonic Orchestra of Bilbao in 1922. He exchanged letters with musicians and personalities of the arts such as Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, Tomás Bretón, Ignacio Zuloaga, or Felipe Pedrell. He worked as a music critic under the pseudonym Ignacio de Zubialde in newspapers and magazines such as "El Nervión", "La Tarde", "La Noche", "Excelsior", "Hermes", "Euzkadi", or "Revista Musical Hispano-Americana". He wrote the lyrics for Guridi's work "Así cantan los chicos", premiered at the Music Academy of Vizcaya on January 13 of 1909. In 1920 he published "Bilbao a mediados del siglo XIX según el epistolario de la época". He participated, on several occasions, in quartets of amateur musicians and in the annual concerts of the Music Academy of Vizcaya, he even harmonized popular songs such as "Goizeko Izarra" for choir. He was secretary and shareholder of S.A. Empresas Artísticas, president of the Sociedad de Estudios Vascos, of the Junta Cultural Vasca y de los Museos de Bellas Artes y Etnográfico. He also was chair of the Junta de Caridad del Santo Hospital Civil de Bilbao and the Santa Casa de Misericordia. He was a member of the Music and Dance section, and a member of the Permanent Board of the SEV-Eusko Ikaskuntza. He died on November 11 of 1926 in Samaniego de Laguardia (Álava, Spain).