Antón García Abril
May 19, 1933–March 17, 2021
Why
I heard about his death this morning on the news.
He was a music composer with decades of work and an eclectic range.
Who
Antón García Abril was born in Teruel, Spain, in 1933.
His father, a band musician, began teaching him music theory at an early age. Antón also joined his father’s music band. Layer he studied at the conservatories of Valencia and Madrid, after which he went abroad to complete his training. He took film scoring classes at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy, and composition at the Santa Cecilia Academy in .
Upon returning to Spain, he joined the “Generación del 51”, a generation of avant-garde composers who offered a different musical perspective from what was being done in the country at the time. In 1959 García Abril founded his won group, “Nueva Música” (New Music).
He started working in films in 1956 with Torrepartida, directed by Pedro Lazaga, with whom he would enjoy a long collaboration, with 68 films over the course of more than two decades. Although many of these comedies were considered low-brow comedies, García Abril infused them with varied melodies, jazz rhythms, and catchy songs that solidified his reputation as a soundtrack go-to guy.
