Person
Isasi, Andrés de (1890-1940)Other forms
Bilbao (Bizkaia, España) 1890-10-28 - Algorta (Getxo, Bizkaia, España) 1940-04-06
Spanish composer.
Born on 28 October 1890 in Bilbao, and passed away on 6 April 1940 in Algorta (Getxo). Grandson of Andrés Isasi Zulueta, marquis of Barambio, financer and politician, with whom he grew and of whom he inherited the noble title. Son of Andrés Isasi Murgoitio and of María del Pilar Linares Recacoechea.
His first music teacher was the pianist Miguel Unceta. He debuted as a composer at the hall of the Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao in 1908, with short pieces like "Dos bocetos" and "Elegía". That same year, the editorial Lazano y Mar published the scores of his "Hojas moriscas", "Escenas rústicas", "Melodías" (1906), "Cromos" and "Marcha fúnebre". In 1909 he travelled to Berlin to continue his studies with Engelbert Humperdinck and Karl Kämpf. While in Germany, he premiered "Sinfonía en Fa" in 1910, and the poems "Zharufa" (1911), "Amor dormido" (1913) and "Das orakel" (1913) in 1913. He also wrote "Lieder album", based on texts by Heinrich Heine, during this period.
When World War I broke out, Isasi returned to Spain and settled in Getxo. In 1915, the orchestra of the Asociación Musical de Bilbao gave the first performance in Spain of his "Amor dormido", a symphonic poem that had its Madrid premiere two years later with Bartolomé Pérez Casas conducting the Orquesta Filarmónica de Madrid. In 1918, Enrique Fernández Arbós conducted his "Segunda sinfonía" (1916) with the same orchestra. He married Inés Olascoaga Amann in 1916. Armand Marsick premiered the symphonic poem "Mendigos al sol" with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao in 1925 at the Teatro Arriaga. His piano pieces were presented by Hungarian virtuoso Emeric Estefaniai on a European tour; the "Angelus" triptych was played in Budapest in 1930.
Isasi spent all of his time composing and researching birdsong, on which he eventually wrote a treatise. He even incorporate bird sounds in works like "Atardecer en la ermita de Lantarón" and "Primavera". He also wrote six string quartets, a sonata for violin and piano, and a guitar suite. His musical acquaintances included Joaquín Zuazagoitia, Esteban Calle Iturrino, Pablo Bilbao Arístegui and Manuel de Falla, whom he admired profoundly.
Date of the event: 1914 - 1918
El archivo musical de Andrés Isasi se conserva en la Biblioteca del Conservatorio - Escuela Municipal Andrés Isasi(Getxo, Vizcaya). Contiene todas las obras manuscritas del autor.