Maria Rodrigo

Spanish pianist and composer María Rodrigo Bellido (b. Madrid, 20 March 1888 – d. Puerto Rico 8 December 1967). She was the daughter of Pantaléon Rodrigo, and studied music at the Madrid Conservatorium under José Tragó for piano, Valentín Arín for harmony and Emilio Serrano for composition. Maria was the first woman who managed to release opera in Spain. Her sister Mercedes Rodrigo, was equally intelligent in being the first woman to obtain a Psychology degree in Spain from the Rousseau Institute in Geneva. The two left Spain for Switzerland during the Spanish Civil War, moved in 1939 to Bogota, Colombia, at the invitation of rector Agustín Nieto Caballero, and in 1950 to Puerto Rico at the invitation of José María García Madrid. With Pablo Casals Rodrigo founded the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. She died in Puerto Rico in 1967. Maria was one of the few composers that addressed the composition of zarzuelas, a genre of Spanish music. German musical education is manifested throughout her works, as well as Wagnerian influence. She cultivated every genre, from vocal music (operas, zarzuelas and songs) to instrumental (symphonic, chamber, piano) She was the first woman to premiere an opera in Spain. Sonata en mi bemol para piano / Piano Sonata in Eb (1911) Obertura para orquesta / Overture for Orchestra (1912) Cuarteto de cuerda, en cuatro tiempos / String Quartet in Four Movements (1913) Cuarteto para instrumentos de arco / Quartet for Bowed String Instruments (1913) Mudarra para gran orquesta (poema sinfónico) / Mudarra for Orchestra (Symphonic poem) (1914) Sinfonía en 4 tiempos / Symphony in 4 movements (1914) Tres lieder para voz y piano (canciones con texto en alemán) / Three Lieder for voice and piano (1914) Salmantina (ópera) / Salmantina (Opera) (1914) Quinteto en fa para piano e instrumentos de viento / Quintet in F for Piano and winds (1915) Becqueriana (zarzuela, estrenada en el Teatro de la Zarzuela) (1915) Diana cazadora o Pena de muerte al amor (zarzuela, estrenada en el Teatro Apolo el 19 de noviembre) / Diana the Hunter for Death Penalty for Love (Zarzuela, premiered at Teatro Apolo on November 19th) (1915) Alma española (poema sinfónico) / Alma Española/Spanish Soul (Symphonic Poem) (1917) Las hazañas de un pícaro (sainete, estrenado en el Teatro Apolo) / Las Hazañas de un Picaro/The Amazing Deeds of a Rascal, sainete, premiered at Teatro Apolo (1920) Linterna mágica / Magic Lantern (1921) El pavo real (comedia poética, estrenada en el Teatro Eslava) / The Indian Peafowl (poetic comedy, premiered at Teatro Eslava) (1922) Coplas de España (para guitarra), cuatro coplas dedicadas a Andrés Segovia / Coplas of Spain (for guitar), 4 coplas dedicated to Andrés Segovia (1924) Ayes (canciones para canto y piano) / Ayes (Songs for voice and piano) (1925) Canción de amor (ópera de cámara) / Love Song (Chamber opera) (1925) Rimas infantiles, glosas de canciones de corro (1930) La Copla intrusa (para piano) / The Intruder Copla for piano (1930) La Cenicienta (ballet infantil) / Cinderella (Children's ballet) (1941) Canciones infantiles / Child Songs (1942) Fábulas / Fables (1942) La carta, el guante y la rosa (ballet) / The letter, the glove and the rose (ballet) (1945) La flor de la vida (ópera) / The flower of life (Opera) La romería del Rocío (zarzuela) / The Pilgrimage of Dew (Zarzuela) Los Caprichos de Goya (suite sinfónica para coro y orquesta) / The Caprices of Goya (Symphonic Suite for Choir and Orchestra)