Sacred Passions. The Life and Music of Manuel de Falla

This biography offers a fresh understanding of the life and work of Spanish composer Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), recognized as the greatest composer in the Spanish cultural renaissance that extended from the latter part of the 19th century until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The biography incorporates recent research on Falla, draws on untapped sources in the Falla archives, reevaluates Falla's work in terms of current issues in musicology, and considers Falla's accomplishments in their historical and cultural contexts.

CONTENIDO:

1. Confronting Falla

2. The Waning of Romanticism: A Composer Begins
-"A Very Studious, Very Conscientious Young Man"
-"Self-Love" and the Ways of Art
-Farewell to Juvenalia: "La vida breve"

3. In Paris on the Eve of the Great War
-"Without Paris, ...Obscurity"
-A Career Is Launched

4. In Neutral Spain
-Falla and the "Idealized Female Archetype": "El amor brujo"
-Eclecticism and the "Progress of Society"

5. International Acclaim: Modernist Folklore and a Farewell to the Primitive
-Falla and the Ballets Russes
-New Undertakings
-The Halcyon
-Years Begin: At Home in Granada

6. The European Neoclassicist: Finding His Voice
-Defining Moment: "El retablo de Maese Pedro" and the Harpsichord Concerto
-The Allure of the Lost Continent
-Figurehead for Youth: Falla as Teacher

7. "Far above the Workings of Politics"
-Falla and the Republic
-"Spes Vitae" (Hope of Life)

8. Falla and the Spanish Civil War
-"The Breath of God over Our Bayonets"
-Evasion
-Acquiescence, Enigma: Falla's Declaration

9. Seeking the Lost Continent
-Argentina and Self-Imposed Exile
-The Aftermath: "Atlántida"

10. Falla's Legacy
-Falla and Spain
-The Other Falla

Appendix 1. Works and First Performances
Appendix 2. Overview of Spanish History, 1874-1981
Bibliography
Index