PARES | Spanish Archives

Identification

Type:

Person

Preferred form:

Almandoz, Norberto (1893-1970)Other forms

Fechas de existencia:

Astigarraga (Gipuzkoa, España) 1893-05-05 - Sevilla (España) 1970-12-07

History:

Spanish organist, priest, composer, chapel master, and music critic. He was born on May 5 of 1893 in Astigarraga (Guipúzcoa). Son of José Antonio Almandoz Miner and Ysabel Mendizábal Solupe. He started studying music with his hometown's organist and continued with Eduardo Mocoroa and Juan Valdés. Later on, he studied to play the organ with Nemesio Otaño. In 1918 he was ordained as a priest, and he studied counterpoint, fugue, and composition with a scholarship in Paris with Eugéne Cools. In 1919, he secured a spot as a chapel master in Orense and little after that, a spot as organist at Seville's cathedral. In 1939 he became canon and chapel master of this same cathedral. Since 1934 he had a connection to the Conservatory of Seville where he worked as professor of counterpoint, fugue and composition alongside Eduardo Torres. In 1936 he was appointed head of the conservatory and music critic of the daily newspaper ABC until his retirement in the year 1964. His main contribution took place in the religious music field, in which he combined in a masterful way the new trends of the XX century with the Cecilianist movement. Part of his work was influenced by impressionism and by the composers Manuel de Falla and Eduardo Torres. There was a great esteem and friendship between Almanoz and Manuel de Falla, proven by the fact that Norberto Almandoz participated in the Sevillian opening night of "El retablo de maese Pedro" at Teatro de San Fernando in 1923. He died on December 7 of 1970 in Seville.

Context:

El fondo personal de Norberto Almandoz se conserva en Eresbil - Archivo Vasco de la Música, que guarda el epistolario, su archivo y biblioteca musical, además de numerosas publicaciones periódicas.

En 1947 investigó en el Archivo General de Indias (AGI) de Sevilla para el padre Ormaecheverría sobre el tema: "Datos sobre el paso a Indias de Fray Francisco de Veranda".