Luís de Freitas Branco

Luís Maria da Costa de Freitas Branco ( born October 12, 1890 in Lisbon, † November 27, 1955 in Lisbon ) was a Portuguese composer and musicologist. He was one of the outstanding personalities of the musical history of his country in the first half of the 20th century.

Life

Born into an aristocratic family, Luís de Freitas Branco enjoyed a broad musical education. His composition teacher in Lisbon was Désiré Pâque. Studies led the twenties to Berlin and Paris, where he among other things, studied with Engelbert Humperdinck and Claude Debussy met. Breakfast itself compositionally worked, he worked from 1916 as a professor of composition at the Conservatory of Lisbon and was from 1919 to 1924 and its deputy director. As a musicologist, he dealt in particular with the Portuguese polyphony of the 17th century and published a book on the also composing King John IV of Portugal. Between 1939 and 1947, he withdrew from political reasons from all offices.

Many Portuguese composers were students of Freitas Branco, Joly Braga Santos, for example. His brother Pedro de Freitas Branco was a conductor.

Work

As a composer Freitas Branco was under the influence of the late French romanticism and impressionism. The main works of his four symphonies apply. In addition to orchestral works he composed sacred music and chamber music.

Chronology of major orchestral works

• Scherzo Fantastique (1907 )
• Antero De Quental - Symphonic Poem (1908 )
• After a reading of Guerra Junqueiro (1909 )
• Artificial Paradises - Symphonic Poem (1910 )
• Tentacoes de S. Free Gil (1911 )
• Vathek (1913 )
• Violin Concerto (1916 )
• Alentejo Suite No. 1 ( 1919)
• Symphony No. 1 (1924 )
• Symphony No. 2 (1926 )
• Alentejo Suite No. 2 ( 1927)
• Symphony No. 3 (1944 )
• Solemnia Verba - Symphonic Poem (1951 )
• Symphony No. 4 (1952 )