Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1890

Death

:

1955

 

Luís de Freitas Branco was a Portuguese composer and musicologist who was born on October 12, 1890, in Lisbon, Portugal. He was the son of a wealthy family, and his father was a lawyer and amateur musician who played the piano and the violin. Freitas Branco grew up in a musical environment, and he started playing the piano at a young age. He also showed an interest in composition, and he began to write his own music when he was a teenager. Freitas Branco studied music at the National Conservatory of Lisbon, where he was a student of the composer and conductor Tomás Borba. He also studied with the composer and musicologist Michel’angelo Lambertini, who introduced him to the music of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods. Freitas Branco was a talented student, and he won several prizes and scholarships that allowed him to continue his studies in Paris and Berlin. In Paris, Freitas Branco studied with the composer and conductor Vincent d’Indy, who was a leading figure in the French musical scene at the time. D’Indy was a proponent of the Wagnerian style of music, and he encouraged Freitas Branco to explore this style in his own compositions. Freitas Branco also studied with the composer and musicologist Charles-Marie Widor, who introduced him to the music of the French Baroque period. In Berlin, Freitas Branco studied with the composer and conductor Ferruccio Busoni, who was a leading figure in the German musical scene at the time. Busoni was a proponent of the modernist style of music, and he encouraged Freitas Branco to explore this style in his own compositions. Freitas Branco also studied with the composer and musicologist Arnold Schönberg, who introduced him to the music of the Second Viennese School. Freitas Branco returned to Portugal in 1914, and he became a professor of composition at the National Conservatory of Lisbon. He also became a conductor, and he conducted several orchestras in Portugal and abroad. He was a prolific composer, and he wrote music in a variety of styles, including symphonies, operas, chamber music, and choral music. One of Freitas Branco’s most famous works is his Symphony No. 1, which he composed in 1917. The symphony is in four movements, and it is a tribute to the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. The first movement is a slow and solemn introduction, which is followed by a lively and rhythmic second movement. The third movement is a slow and melancholic adagio, which is followed by a fast and energetic finale. The symphony is a masterpiece of Portuguese music, and it is considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century. Another famous work by Freitas Branco is his opera “Frei Luís de Sousa,” which he composed in 1929. The opera is based on the play of the same name by the Portuguese playwright Almeida Garrett, and it tells the story of a nobleman who is wrongly accused of treason and sentenced to death. The opera is a masterpiece of Portuguese music, and it is considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century. Freitas Branco also wrote several chamber music works, including his String Quartet No. 1, which he composed in 1911. The quartet is in four movements, and it is a tribute to the French composer Claude Debussy. The first movement is a slow and dreamy introduction, which is followed by a lively and rhythmic second movement. The third movement is a slow and melancholic adagio, which is followed by a fast and energetic finale.

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