Spanish pianist, composer and orchestra conductor.

Born in 1889 in Seville (Spain). Son and brother of musicians. His father, Manuel Font Fernández de la Herrán, was bandmaster of the Banda Municipal de Sevilla, and his brother, José Font de Anta, was a violinist and composer. Manuel studied harmony with Vicente Ripollés, counterpoint with Eduardo Torres, composition with Joaquín Turina and orchestration and instrumentation with his father. In 1913, he conducted Giacomo Puccini's opera "La bohème" at the Teatro Principal in Cádiz. He was hired to conduct the Teatro Mayo orchestra in Buenos Aires (Argentina). As a pianist, he gave concerts in various South American countries. He moved to New York, and was hired as a piano accompanist by the symphony orchestra that Walter Damrosch conducted. After returning to Spain, Manuel gave several concerts with his brother José, making their debut as a violin-piano duo at the Ateneo de Madrid.

He was also a prolific and versatile composer. His operatic music includes sainetes and zarzuelas, some written in collaboration with other musicians, such as "A la cola, a la cola", "Caray qué nochecita", "Cha-cha-chá", "El jardín de las caricias" and "Las muertes de Lopillo" (1925), the latter with lyrics by the Álvarez Quintero brothers. In 1933, he premiered the two-act "Sol andaluz" at Madrid's Teatro Maravillas. For orchestra, he composed "El Perchel (symphonic variations), "Impresiones aragonesas" (1918, scherzo), "Rapsodia iberoamericana", "Aires Segovianos" (rhapsody for choir and orchestra), and the symphony poem "Las mocedades de Alonso Quijano el Bueno". Manuel Font's catalogue of sacred music includes "Misa coral" for choir and organ, "Jesús del Gran Poder" for choir, orchestra and organ, "Al son de Belén", a carol for two voices, and "Ecce panis" for three voices. For bands, he wrote the marches "El sol de España" and "¡¡Al frente!!", the paso doble "La bandera pasa", and "Soleá, dame la mano" (1918) and the famous "Amarguras" (1919), both processional marches for Seville's Holy Week. In addition, he wrote "Cuarteto" for strings, "Muerte del guerrero griego Acteón" for woodwind quartet, "Sonata" for violin and piano, and "Andalucía" (1923), a piano suite in three movements that contains a number, "El Barrio de la Viña", dedicated to Manuel de Falla. Of the many pieces for voice and piano that he published, perhaps the most popular was his song "La cruz de mayo". He passed away in Madrid in 1936.