(Pasodoble) VA - Pasodobles en los Toros - 1998, MP3, 320 kbps

The genre of pasodoble has always been the ideal music score of bullfighting; that is why there is even a clearly defined genre within that genre that is usually called “pasodoble torero” (bullfighting pasodoble, and which is one of the man definitory features of the essence of the bullfighting ritual. The following are a series of brief biographical notes about some of the composers that have contributed the most to enrich the genre of Spanish bullfighting pasodoble with their works:
Antonio Alvarez Alonso (1867-1903) got enrolled at the Madrid Conservatory at the age 9, and there he got his training as musician: when he finished his studies he worked as orchestra conductor, and he also wrote several zarzuelas, among them Loreto Fregoli and El gran visir. Alvarez Alonso also worked as pianist, both as solo concertist and with violinist Sarasate. In 1902, while heworced as pianist at the Gafé of España of Cartagena, Alvarez Alonso wrote the very famous pasodoble “Suspiros de España”, whose title refers to a variety of cream cakes that was one of the main specialties of the café.
Eduardo López Juarrantz (1844-1897) made his music studies at the Madrid Conservatory, where he got a first prize in composition in 1871. López Juarrantz developed his career as oboist and conductor in several military bands, and hi was a pioneer in the introduction of the military music in the context of classical concerts. As composer, his catalogue of works consists of pieces in the genres of military music (marches, a Fantasia militar), chamber music, religious music, music of the stage, and also more than 80 pasodobles, the most famous of which is the one dedicated to “La Giralda” of Seville.
Pascual Marquina Narro (1872-1948) studied music in Barcelona and, in his youth, he worked as member of several military bands. In 1904 he started writing zarzuelas (Sangre y arena, El tren de lujo), and at the same time he worked as military band conductor and as music director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela of Madrid. His most relevant works as composer are his military music pieces (Himmo a la aviación española) and his pasodobles, among them “Cielo andaluz” and the very famous one “España cañi”.
Juan Mostazo Morales (1903-1938) started his career in music as pianist, but soon he decided to become a full-time composer; in this native Seville he joined José Gardey and Luis Rivas in a trio of composers known by the nickname of Garrimos, and with them he moved to Madrid in 1904. When his partners moved back to Seville, a short time later, Mostazo stayed in Madrid and soon became a successful and fertile writer of pasodobles and coplas such as “Antonio Vargas Heredia”, “La bien paga” and the very popular one entitled “Mi Jaca”. Mostazo also wrote music for zarzuelas (Rosa de pasión) and movies (Carmen la de Triana).
The career in music of Manuel Penella Moreno (1880-1939) was mainly devoted to write zarzuelas, and among his works in the genre there are titles such as Las Musas Latinas, Don Gil de Alcalá, and El Gato Montés. This last mentioned was presented in Valencia in 1916 with huge success, partly dur to the very famous pasodoble included in it and known by the same title. In 1922 El Gato Montés was presented in New York, with a very young Conchita Piquer as part of the cast; Penella was Piquer‘s discoverer, and he also wrote some of the first hits in the career of this great Valencian singer.
Pascual Pérez Chovi (1889-1953) played clarinet in several Valencian music bands in his youth, while he also made studies in composition. In 1913 he was appointed conductor of the Banda Artistica Musical of Valencia, with which he worked for thr rest of his career. Pérez Chovi wrote a large number of pasadobles, with titles such as “Flores de España”, “El collegial”, and his masterpiece “Pepita Creus”, a bullfighting pasodoble that, due to its high melodic and thematic qualities, has been the object of numerous recordings and arrangements, both for orchestral groups and for different soloist instruments.
Besides the above mentioned, there are some other names of great composers such as Santiago Lope (1871-1906), José Maria Martin Domingo (1889-1961), and Genaro Monreal (1894-1974), whose best works are also included anthology of famous bullfighting pasodobles.