Tomás Bretón

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Tomás Bretón (December 29, 1850 – December 2, 1923), was a Spanish musician and composer.

Born in Salamanca, Bretón completed his first musical studies in the Escuela de Nobles y Bellas Artes de San Eloy there; he made a living playing in small provincial orchestras, theaters, and churches. When he was sixteen he moved to Madrid, where he played in Barbieri's orchestra and studied at the Royal Conservatory under Emilio Arrieta. Later, under the protection of Alfonso XII and the counts of Morphy, Bretón was chosen to study music in Rome, Milan, Vienna and Paris. His stay in Rome was a formative experience, and inspired him to incorporate the great European forms into Spanish music.

Upon returning to Madrid Bretón was appointed to the chair of composition at the Royal Conservatory, and later, obtained the directorship there. In 1872 he received, along with Ruperto Chapí, the first prize of the Conservatory, after which he founded the Artistic Musical Union, which he would direct for many years. Following Barbieri's example, he used his position, successfully, to encourage the premières of many musical works, both Spanish and foreign. Bretón died in Madrid in 1923.

[edit] Contributions to Music

All through his life, Bretón worked diligently to preserve the native Spanish forms of opera with which he hoped Spanish composers would be successful. His efforts failed; consequently, the national music of his time appears to lack coherence and unity. The public became apathetic to Spanish works.

In his efforts to create a distinctly "Spanish" opera, Bretón wrote noteworthy lyrics, which were faulted by critics for not being Spanish enough in character; critics thought Bretón failed to discard the models of Italian opera, vaguely reminiscent of Wagner, that were dominant at the time. Examples of such works include Los amantes de Teruel and Garin.

Bretón was the author of numerous zarzuelas and operas. His work La verbena de la paloma is considered one of the classic models of the género chico style and a peerless musical portrait of Madrid towards the end of the nineteenth century.

In addition to his Zarzuelas and operas, Bretón also devoted himself to chamber music, leaving three string quartets, a piano trio, a piano quintet and a sextet for winds. Critics, such as David Nelson, who have taken the trouble to familiarize themselves with his chamber music, have come away with favorable impressions. Nelson, in notes to the recording of Bretón's Piano Trio in E Major and String Quartet in D Major, remarks that "these works demonstrate considerable originality, mastery of design and for their time a harmonic boldness...[he] attained a level of quality equal to that of his foreign counterparts." Although his chamber music was attacked by contemporary Spanish critics, who were used to Zarzuelas, as not being Spanish, this criticism is wide of the mark. He often infused his chamber music with Spanish melodies and rhythms, an example being the scherzo to the aforementioned D Major string quartet.