Federico Romero
Encyclopedia
Federico Romero Sarachaga (11 November 1886 - 30 June 1976) was a Spanish
poet and essayist. He is particularly known as a writer of libretti
, primarily for zarzuela
s. Although he was born in Oviedo
and lived at times in both Zaragoza
and Madrid
, he considered himself a son of Spain's La Mancha
region, where his family had lived from the early 20th century in the small town of La Solana
(Ciudad Real
). The zarzuela La rosa del azafrán, composed by Jacinto Guerrero
to a libretto by Romero, is considered emblematic of the region.
to a well-to-do family. His father was an official with the Banco de España, and his aunt owned a large hacienda
in La Mancha. He originally trained and worked as a mining engineer
. After suffering from health problems caused by his years in the mines, he took up a post with the Spanish Post Office
in Madrid where he worked as a telegraphist
from 1907 until 1917. During that time he also began his writing career, and in 1911, published a long poem, Nochebuena en la Central in the magazine El Telegrafista Español. Romero had been a close friend of the Spanish writer Carlos Fernández-Shaw, and after his death formed a writing partnership with his son, Guillermo Fernández-Shaw
, which was to produce over 70 libretti including those for two of the best-known zarzuelas of the 20th century, Doña Francisquita
by Amadeo Vives
and Luisa Fernanda
by Federico Moreno Torroba
. The first libretto they wrote together was for the 1916 zarzuela, La canción del olvido by José Serrano
. A year after its triumphal premiere, Romero gave up his job as a telegraphist to become a full-time writer. However, he continued to maintain ties with his former colleagues, contributing articles and poems to their magazines, El Telégrafo Español and El Electricista, into the 1930s. In 1943, he performed at the celebrations for the 88th anniversary of the Spanish Telegraph Service with two other telegraphists who also became zarzuela librettists, Pedro Llabrés and Francisco Prada.
In the course of their 30-year collaboration, Romero and Fernández-Shaw wrote libretti for virtually every Spanish lyric composer of the day. Although most of their libretti were original stories, several of them were based on works by Spanish playwrights such as Lope de Vega
, Manuel Machado
, and Jacinto Benavente
. They also produced Spanish versions of stage plays by Goethe
, Schiller
, and Rostand
. Romero's partnership with Fernández-Shaw ended in the late 1940s following a personal feud, after which Romero wrote libretti on his own, while Fernández-Shaw began a new partnership with his brother Rafael.
Romero was one of the founders of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores
(SGAE) and served as a counselor to the organization. He was also a founding member of the Instituto de Estudios Madrileños and published several monographs on the history of Madrid including Por la calle de Alcalá (1953), Prehistoria de la gran vía (1966), and Mesonero Romanos
, activista del madrileñismo (1968). Federico Romero died in Madrid
on 30 June 1976 at the age of 89 and was buried in the Cementerio de la Almudena
. A primary school and one of the central streets in his boyhood hometown of La Solana are named in his honour. In 1982, the SGAE established the "Premio Federico Romero" which is awarded annually to a distinguished zarzuela singer.
's 1941 zarzuela, Calatravas. He also wrote several libretti on his own, including those for Ernesto Rosillo's 1922 revue
, La rubia del Far-West, and Juan Dotras Vila's 1952 zarzuela, Aquella canción Antigua. The libretti written with Guillermo Fernández-Shaw include:
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
poet and essayist. He is particularly known as a writer of libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, primarily for zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
s. Although he was born in Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
and lived at times in both Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, he considered himself a son of Spain's La Mancha
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...
region, where his family had lived from the early 20th century in the small town of La Solana
La Solana
La Solana is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 15,340.The Language spoken is Castellano. It has a very arid climate. It is located in a zone of Spain that produces large quantities of Wine and Olive Oil....
(Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
). The zarzuela La rosa del azafrán, composed by Jacinto Guerrero
Jacinto Guerrero
Jacinto Guerrero , was a prolific composer of zarzuelas and revues, as well as some orchestral compositions...
to a libretto by Romero, is considered emblematic of the region.
Biography
Romero was born in OviedoOviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
to a well-to-do family. His father was an official with the Banco de España, and his aunt owned a large hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
in La Mancha. He originally trained and worked as a mining engineer
Mining engineering
Mining engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.Mineral...
. After suffering from health problems caused by his years in the mines, he took up a post with the Spanish Post Office
Correos
Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos, S.A., popularly known as Correos, is the national postal service of Spain, as recognized by the Universal Postal Union. With 63,000 employees and 5.4 billion pieces of mail sent each year, Correos is one of the largest postal services in the world...
in Madrid where he worked as a telegraphist
Telegraphist
Telegraphist is an operator who uses the morse code in order to communicate by land or radio lines. Telegraphists were indispensable at sea in the early day of Wireless Telegraphy. During the Great War the Royal Navy enlisted many volunteers as Telegraphists. Telegraphists are also called Telegraph...
from 1907 until 1917. During that time he also began his writing career, and in 1911, published a long poem, Nochebuena en la Central in the magazine El Telegrafista Español. Romero had been a close friend of the Spanish writer Carlos Fernández-Shaw, and after his death formed a writing partnership with his son, Guillermo Fernández-Shaw
Guillermo Fernández-Shaw
Guillermo Fernández-Shaw Iturralde was a Spanish poet and journalist. He is particularly known as a writer of libretti, primarily for zarzuelas. With Federico Romero, he wrote the libretti for two of the best-known zarzuelas of the 20th century, Doña Francisquita by Amadeo Vives and Luisa...
, which was to produce over 70 libretti including those for two of the best-known zarzuelas of the 20th century, Doña Francisquita
Doña Francisquita
Doña Francisquita is a zarzuela in three acts composed by Amadeo Vives to a Spanish libretto by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw and based on Lope de Vega's play La discreta enamorada...
by Amadeo Vives
Amadeo Vives
Amadeu Vives i Roig was a Catalan Spanish musical composer, creator of over a hundred stage works. He is best known for Doña Francisquita, which Christopher Webber has praised for its "easy lyricism, fluent orchestration and colourful evocation of 19th Century Madrid—not to mention its memorable...
and Luisa Fernanda
Luisa Fernanda (zarzuela)
Luisa Fernanda is a romantic zarzuela in three acts by Federico Moreno Torroba. The libretto is written in Spanish by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw. The first performance of Luisa Fernanda took place at Teatro Calderón in Madrid on March 26, 1932...
by Federico Moreno Torroba
Federico Moreno Torroba
Federico Moreno Torroba was a Spanish composer, born in Madrid.-Biography:Moreno Torroba is often associated with the zarzuela, a traditional Spanish musical form. Directing several opera companies, Moreno Torroba helped introduce the zarzuela to international audiences...
. The first libretto they wrote together was for the 1916 zarzuela, La canción del olvido by José Serrano
José Serrano (composer)
José Serrano Simeón was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas. He was born in Sueca, Valencia, Spain.His most famous works include La dolorosa and La canción del olvido . Serrano’s works tend to be simple popular theater but filled with dramatic emotion...
. A year after its triumphal premiere, Romero gave up his job as a telegraphist to become a full-time writer. However, he continued to maintain ties with his former colleagues, contributing articles and poems to their magazines, El Telégrafo Español and El Electricista, into the 1930s. In 1943, he performed at the celebrations for the 88th anniversary of the Spanish Telegraph Service with two other telegraphists who also became zarzuela librettists, Pedro Llabrés and Francisco Prada.
In the course of their 30-year collaboration, Romero and Fernández-Shaw wrote libretti for virtually every Spanish lyric composer of the day. Although most of their libretti were original stories, several of them were based on works by Spanish playwrights such as Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
, Manuel Machado
Manuel Machado
Manuel Machado may refer to:*Manuel Machado , Portuguese composer of early Baroque music*Manuel Machado y Ruiz , Spanish poet, part of the Generation of '98...
, and Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente y Martínez was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922....
. They also produced Spanish versions of stage plays by Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
, Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, and Rostand
Edmond Rostand
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
. Romero's partnership with Fernández-Shaw ended in the late 1940s following a personal feud, after which Romero wrote libretti on his own, while Fernández-Shaw began a new partnership with his brother Rafael.
Romero was one of the founders of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores
Sociedad General de Autores y Editores
Sociedad General de Autores y Editores is the main collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers in Spain. It is similar to ASCAP. The composer and performer Teddy Bautista is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The SGAE was founded in 1941 as General Society of Authors of...
(SGAE) and served as a counselor to the organization. He was also a founding member of the Instituto de Estudios Madrileños and published several monographs on the history of Madrid including Por la calle de Alcalá (1953), Prehistoria de la gran vía (1966), and Mesonero Romanos
Ramón de Mesonero Romanos
Ramón de Mesonero Romanos , Spanish prose-writer, was born at Madrid.At an early age he became interested in the history and topography of his native city...
, activista del madrileñismo (1968). Federico Romero died in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 30 June 1976 at the age of 89 and was buried in the Cementerio de la Almudena
Cementerio de la Almudena
The Cementerio de Nuestra Señora de La Almudena is a cemetery in Madrid, Spain. It is the largest in Madrid and one of the largest in Western Europe...
. A primary school and one of the central streets in his boyhood hometown of La Solana are named in his honour. In 1982, the SGAE established the "Premio Federico Romero" which is awarded annually to a distinguished zarzuela singer.
Libretti
Although the vast majority of Romero's libretti were written with Guillermo Fernández-Shaw, he also collaborated with other librettists, most notably with José Tellaeche for Pablo LunaPablo Luna
Pablo Luna Gamio is a Mexican coach in the Liga de Ascenso. He is the current manager of Alacranes de Durango....
's 1941 zarzuela, Calatravas. He also wrote several libretti on his own, including those for Ernesto Rosillo's 1922 revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, La rubia del Far-West, and Juan Dotras Vila's 1952 zarzuela, Aquella canción Antigua. The libretti written with Guillermo Fernández-Shaw include:
- 1916. La canción del olvido by José SerranoJosé Serrano (composer)José Serrano Simeón was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas. He was born in Sueca, Valencia, Spain.His most famous works include La dolorosa and La canción del olvido . Serrano’s works tend to be simple popular theater but filled with dramatic emotion...
- 1923. Doña FrancisquitaDoña FrancisquitaDoña Francisquita is a zarzuela in three acts composed by Amadeo Vives to a Spanish libretto by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw and based on Lope de Vega's play La discreta enamorada...
by Amadeu Vives - 1923. El dictador by Rafael Millán Picazo
- 1926. El caserío by Jesús GuridiJesús GuridiJesús Guridi Bidaola was a Spanish Basque composer, and is a key player in the Spanish and Basque music of the twentieth century. His style fits into what we might call the late romantic stamp, directly inherited from Wagner, and with a strong influence from the Basque culture...
- 1927. La villana by Amadeu Vives
- 1928. La meiga by Jesús Guridi
- 1930. La rosa del azafrán by Jacinto Guerrero
- 1932. Luisa FernandaLuisa Fernanda (zarzuela)Luisa Fernanda is a romantic zarzuela in three acts by Federico Moreno Torroba. The libretto is written in Spanish by Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw. The first performance of Luisa Fernanda took place at Teatro Calderón in Madrid on March 26, 1932...
by Federico Moreno TorrobaFederico Moreno TorrobaFederico Moreno Torroba was a Spanish composer, born in Madrid.-Biography:Moreno Torroba is often associated with the zarzuela, a traditional Spanish musical form. Directing several opera companies, Moreno Torroba helped introduce the zarzuela to international audiences... - 1933. La labradora by Leopoldo Magenti
- 1934. La chulapona by Federico Moreno Torroba
- 1936. La tabernera del puerto by Pablo SorozábalPablo SorozábalPablo Sorozábal Mariezcurrena was a Basque-Spanish composer.Trained in San Sebastián, Madrid and Leipzig; then in Berlin, where he preferred Friedrich Koch as composition teacher to Arnold Schönberg, whose theories he disliked. It was in Germany that he made his conducting debut, and the rostrum...
- 1939. La malquerida by Conrado del CampoConrado del CampoConrado del Campo was a composer, violinist and professor at the Real Conservatorio de Música in Madrid, who was the principal conductor of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.His was works played in the Theathre Real of Madrid for José María Alvira. His opera Lola la Piconera made its debut at the Gran...
- 1943. Loza Lozana by Jacinto Guerrero
- 1944. Peñamariana by Jesús Guridi
Sources
- El País, Falleció Federico Romero, autor de "Doña Francisquita", 1 July 1976. Accessed 24 June 2009.
- Fernández Álvarez, Diego Emilio, Luisa Fernanda, 2007. (The article's main sources are Diccionario de la Zarzuela ISBN 8489457301; El libro de la zarzuela ISBN 8423126773; and Historia de la zarzuela, Vol. II ISBN 8485680014.) Accessed 24 June 2009.
- García-Cervigón, A., El poeta Federico Romero da nombre al nuevo colegio de La Solana, La Tribuna (Ciudad Real), 4 March 2009. Accessed 24 June 2009.
- Hennessey, Mike, CISAC Goes Gold: Spain, Billboard Magazine, 6 November 1976. Accessed 24 June 2009.
- La VanguardiaLa VanguardiaLa Vanguardia is Catalonia's leading daily newspaper as well as the fourth best-selling in Spain. It has its headquarters in Barcelona, Catalonia's largest city....
, Ha fallecido don Guillermo Fernández Shaw, director de la Sociedad General de Autores, 18 August 1965, p. 5. Accessed 24 June 2009. - La Vanguardia, Entíerro de Federico Romero, 3 July 1976, p. 46.
- Manzanares, Pedro Gomez and Webber, Christopher, Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández Shaw, Zarzuela!, October 2001. Accessed 24 June 2009.
- Olivé, Sebastián, Historias de Telégrafos, Asociación de Amigos del Telégrafo de España, 2009 pp. 183-185. Accessed 24 June 2009.
- Sadie, Stanley (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1992. ISBN 0935859926
- Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, El tenor catalán José Bros logra el Premio Federico Romero 2007 de la SGAE, 14 December 2007. Accessed 24 June 2009.