Guillermo Morphy y Ferríz de Guzmán, best known as Conde Morphy or Count Morphy (February 29, 1836 – August 28, 1899 in Madrid) was a Spanish aristocrat, music critic, musicologist, historian, educator, composer and politician. He became personal secretary to King

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

in 1875. He became a highly admired figure in artistic circles of late nineteenth century Madrid, and for his service to the Crown of Spain. He was a friend of

Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his conte ...

, who he arranged a grant for to study at the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

. He served as director of the Royal Concert Society at the Teatro Real in Madrid until 1891.

Biography

Born in Madrid on February 29, 1836, he was of Irish descent, son of Joseph Morphy. He spent his childhood traveling through France, Italy and Germany, among other countries, where he had a European renaissance education becoming a lover of art and literature. He lived for two years in Germany between 1846 and 1848. In 1858, he took over his father's law firm. In 1863 he took classes under the composer

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, composer, teacher, and one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ''Biographie univ ...

in Brussels. When he returned he entered the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

on November 28, 1863, as a gentleman of the then Prince of Asturias and future King

, a position he held until the Revolution in 1868 that overthrew

Isabel II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...

. He moved to France to engage in musicology, and during the Franco-Prussian War he traveled to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to be with Prince Alfonso. There he composed the opera ''Lizzie'' and other orchestral parts. On the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

, he returned to Spain with the King, who appointed him his personal secretary on January 18, 1875, and granted him the title Count Morphy on May 3, 1882. He published several studies and translated into Spanish a biography of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, and in 1892 entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. He also served as director of the

Royal Concert Society Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

at the Teatro Real in Madrid until 1891. Morphy was also an acquaintance and benefactor of several notable musicians of the time, such as Tomás Bretón,

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

and

. The count was a close friend of Albéniz in particular and was highly enthusiastic towards his talent, and it was Morphy who arranged for a grant for him to study at the

. Morphy also arranged for violinist Enrique Fernández Arbós to study under

Henri Vieuxtemps Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps ( 17 February 18206 June 1881) was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th ce ...

in Brussels. Albéniz dedicated his composition ''

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...

'' to Count Morphy's wife when he premiered in a piano performance in Paris on January 24, 1886. In late 1883, a number of musicians, led by Count Morphy, sharing the same concerns regarding the regeneration of Spanish art, gathered together in a society in Madrid to found the Philharmonic Institute with the aim of offering musical training at the same level as other European centres. The regenerative nature of their educational project, compared to the teachings of the Conservatory of Madrid, is highlighted. In particular, the bel canto school run by Napoleón Verger helped to improve the standard of singing in Spain and to endow opera stages with renowned figures, thus paving the way for the establishment of Spanish lyric drama. From 1886 to 1895, the Count of Morphy assumed a leading role as president of the Fine Arts section, he engaged with the activities of the society by giving lectures and by introducing the Ateneo to his own aesthetic principles, including his regenerationist agenda and his musical nationalism. He also extended invitations to some of the most relevant international figures and to a young generation of Spanish artists, with the intention of bringing the public closer to the European cultural scene. The Ateneo experienced a period of splendor with a new impulse in vocal, instrumental and chamber music, and a renewed repertoire with contemporary works by Spanish and Central European composers.

Bibliography

;Notes ;References * * - Total pages: 256 * - Total pages: 360 * - Total pages: 488

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morphy, Guillermo 1836 births 1899 deaths People from Madrid Counts of Spain Spanish musicologists Spanish composers Spanish male composers Spanish music critics Spanish music educators Spanish politicians Spanish people of Irish descent 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century composers 19th-century male writers 19th-century Spanish male musicians 19th-century musicologists