Carmelo Alonso Bernaola (16 July 1929 5 June 2002) was a Spanish

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

composer and clarinetist. A member of the Generation of '51, he was one of the most influential composers in the Spanish musical scene of the second half of the 20th century. He composed more than 300 works in popular and academic forms including award-winning soundtracks for film and television, and is credited with introducing notions of

chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the likelihood function or probability density function) * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Maryland, US * Chanc ...

to Spanish composition.

Early years

Bernaola was born in

Otxandio Otxandio (in Basque and officially, in Spanish ''Ochandiano'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque autonomous community, Spain. Otxandio is part of the ''comarca'' of Durangaldea and has a population of 1,26 ...

Bizkaia Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. Biscay is one of the most renowned and prosperou ...

, Spain. His father was Amado Alonso and his mother was Rufina Bernaola. He later chose to use his mother's surname, rather than his father's.Christiane Heine, "Alonso Bernaola, Carmelo", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was a British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was published as the first edition ...

and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001). When he was age 7, he and his family moved to

Medina de Pomar Medina de Pomar is a municipality and town located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain, 77 km from Bilbao, and 8 kilometres from Villarcayo. Medina de Pomar is part of the Comarca of Las Merindades. Notable people * Ram ...

(

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

), where he received his first musical education. In 1943, he moved to the city of

, where he studied with professor Blanco. In 1948, to allow him to continue studies without interruption by

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

he joined the local Engineers Academy Band, playing clarinet. In 1951, he obtained a job as clarinetist with the Band of the Armed Forces' Ministry and he moved to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, gaining the rank of Sergeant. There he met various future members of the Generation of '51 including

Cristóbal Halffter Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina (24 March 1930 – 23 May 2021) was a Spanish classical composer. He was the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter, and is regarded as the most important Spanish composer of the gen ...

, Manuel Angulo y Ángel Arteaga. Together they worked to find new sounds and musical directions. At Madrid Conservatory he studied counterpoint, fugue and composition with Massó, Calés Pina and Julio Gómez. In 1953, he got a new job as clarinettist with the Madrid City Band, and after winning various national prizes, he received a scholarship from the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts to continue his studies. In 1959, he obtained the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

and moved to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

where he lived from 1960–1962. In Italy he studied composition with Goffredo Petrassi in the

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia () is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gre ...

and conducting with

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...

in the Accademia Chigiana di Siena. These were two of the musicians that influenced him the most. In addition, during this period he participated in the Darmstadt International Summer Courses under the direction of

Bruno Maderna Bruno Maderna (born Bruno Grossato, 21 April 1920 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian composer, conductor and academic teacher. Life Maderna was born Bruno Grossato in Venice but later decided to take the name of his mother, Caterina Carolina M ...

and

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

and there he met

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

Luigi Nono Luigi Nono (; 29 January 1924 – 8 May 1990) was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music. Biography Early years Nono, born in Venice, was a member of a wealthy artistic family; his grandfather was a notable painter. Nono bega ...

and Ramón Barce. In Spain, he completed his studies with

André Jolivet André Jolivet (; 8 August 1905 – 20 December 1974) was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet drew on his interest in acoustics and atonality, as well as both ancient and modern musical influ ...

and Alexander Tansman in

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

Maturity

After returning to Madrid in 1962 he took up once again his clarinet place in the Municipal Symphony Band (Banda Sinfónica Municipal de Madrid), but dedicated the majority of his time to composition. He composed soundtracks for films and television as well as art pieces, totalling over 300 pieces in his career. As well as composition, he worked as a Professor of Harmony in the Madrid Conservatory and was director of the Jesús Guridi Conservatory in

Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...

from 1981 until retiring in 1991. In 1998, he received a honorary doctorate from Complutense University alongside

Luis de Pablo Luis de Pablo Costales (28 January 1930 – 10 October 2021) was a Spanish composer belonging to the generation that Cristóbal Halffter named ''the Generación del 51''. Mostly self-taught as a composer and influenced by Maurice Ohana and Max ...

and

Tomás Marco Tomás Marco Aragón (born 12 September 1942) is a Spanish composer and writer on music. Life and work Marco was born in Madrid where he later studied violin and composition, while at the same time pursuing the study of law (he received his lic ...

. He died in hospital in Torrelodonis, Madrid of cancer at the age of 72.

Musical Works

Within

art music Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high culture, high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJa ...

he is considered responsible for the introduction of modern classical to Spain, and the development of chance through his concept of flexible music, based on free interpretation within limits set by the composer. Key among his works are the three symphonies (1974, 1980, 1990), the ''Rondo for Orchestra'' (1992), ''Clamores y Secuencias'' (1993) and ''Song for Euskera'' (1995), a tribute to his native language. He also scored

Adolfo Marsillach Adolfo Marsillach Soriano (January 25, 1928 – January 21, 2002) was a Spanish actor, playwright and theatre director. He was born in Barcelona. He was known for his collaborations with playwright Alberto Miralles. He is the father of a ...

's 1989 theatre production of ''

la Celestina ''The Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea'' (), known in Spain as ''La Celestina'', is a work entirely in dialogue published in 1499. Sometimes called in English ''The Spanish Bawd'', it is attributed to Fernando de Rojas, a descendant of conv ...

''. Notable among his popular works are the 1982 arrangement of the

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

FC anthem ''Athleticen ereserkia,'' and numerous works for television series: ''El pícaro'' (1974), ''La clave'' (1976) y ''Verano azul'' (1981). Notable among the 82 film soundtracks he composed are ''Mambrú has gone to war'' (1986), ''Wait for me in heaven'' (1988) and the Goya-winning ''Pasodoble'' (1989). The works indicated in this list do not include his compositions for several plays, films and TV shows. He regarded these "functional" compositions as distinct from his "real" catalogue of vocal and instrumental works. *1955: Trío-Sonatina (for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

and

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

); Capricho (for clarinet and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

); Music for

wind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the i ...

. *1956: Three piano pieces. *1957: Suite-divertimento (piano and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

); Homenaje a Scarlatti (piano and orchestra);

String Quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

No.1. *1958: Canción y danza (piano). *1959: Cuatro piezas infantiles (piano). *1960: Píccolo Concerto (

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

and string ensemble); Constantes (voice, 3 clarinets and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

). *1961: Superficie número 1 (chamber ensemble); Sinfonetta Progresiva (string ensemble). *1962: Espacios variados; Superficie número 2 (

violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...

). *1963: Permutado (violin and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

); Superficie número 4; Morfología sonora (piano). *1964: Mixturas. *1965: Heterofonías. *1966: Episodio (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

); Traza. *1967: Músicas de cámara. *1968: Continuo (piano). *1969: Polifonías. *1970: Oda für Marisa. *1971: Relatividades. *1972: Impulsos; Argia ezta ikusten. *1974: Sinfonía en do; Negaciones de San Pedro (bass and choir); Presencia (string quartet and piano); Per due. *1976: Superposiciones variables.; Así; Tiempos (violoncello and piano); Pieza I. *1977: Achode (clarinet quintet). *1978: Villanesca; Entrada; Juegos. *1979: A mi aire; Qué familia; Superficie número 5 (

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

). *1980: Variantes combinadas (chamber ensemble); Symphony No.2.; Galatea, Rocinante y Preciosa; Koankinteto; Variantes combinadas. *1981: Béla Bartók I; Tres piezas. *1984: Las siete palabras de Cristo en la Cruz. *1985: Variaciones concertantes (Espacios variados número 2). *1986: Nostálgico (piano and orchestra). *1987: Perpétuo, cántico, final (piano). *1988: El retablillo de Don Cristóbal; Per a Fréderic (trio). *1989: La Celestina. *1990: Symphony Nº 3. *1992: Scherzo. *2001: Fantasías.

Selected filmography

* '' The Wild Ones of San Gil Bridge'' (1966) * '' Días de viejo color'' (1967) * '' Si volvemos a vernos'' (1967) * '' Urtain, el rey de la selva... o así'' (1969) * '' Love and Other Solitudes'' (1969) * '' A House Without Boundaries'' (1972) * '' Corazón solitario'' (1972) * '' Gone to the Mountain'' (1974) * '' Count Dracula's Great Love'' (1974) * '' Sex o no sex'' (1974) * '' Pim, pam, pum... ¡fuego!'' (1975) * ''

Pasodoble Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This often was accompanied by ...

'' (1988), directed by

José Luis García Sánchez José Luis García Sánchez (born 22 September 1941) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed 30 films since 1968. He wrote for the 1973 film '' Habla, mudita'', which was entered into the 23rd Berlin Internation ...

, for which he won a

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

Awards and recognitions

* 1955: Honorary Mention in the Spanish National Prize for Music. * 1956: Samuel Ross Prize. * 1956: National Composers Prize from the National Students Union (SEU). * 1959:

(Spanish section). * 1962: Spanish National Prize for Music. * 1967: National Film Music Prize (Premio Nacional de Música Cinematográfica). * 1967: Circle of Cinematographic Writers Award for Best Music (''Días de viejo color'' and ''Si volvemos a vernos''). * 1969: Circle of Cinematographic Writers Award for Best Music ('' Del amor y otras soledades''). * 1972: Circle of Cinematographic Writers Award for Best Music (''Corazón solitario''). * 1987: Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts. * 1989: Goya for Best Original Film Score for ''

'', by

. * 1990: Gold Medal of Vitoria. * 1992: Spanish National Prize for Music. * 1994: Premio

Sabino Arana Sabino Policarpo Arana Goiri (in Spanish language, Spanish), Sabin Polikarpo Arana Goiri (in Basque language, Basque), or Arana ta Goiri'taŕ Sabin (self-styled) (26 January 1865 – 25 November 1903), was a spaniards, Spanish writer and the ...

. * 1994: Academician of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. * 1998: Honorary doctorate from

Universidad Complutense The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

. * 2001: Music Prize of Fundación Guerrero.

Early years

Maturity

Musical Works

Selected filmography

Awards and recognitions

References

Further reading