Manuel Martinez Chumillas (Madrid 4.6.1902 - Madrid 31.1.1986)
Manuel Martinez Chumillas did his musical studies at the Conservatory of San Sebastian where he finished harmony and composition. He continued them in Madrid as a Pupil of Julio Gomez, Francisc Cales, Manuel Lopez Varela and Francisco Carrascon.
He was linked to the Group of the Eight (or Madrid), particularly with Rodolfo Halffter, feeling a connection “due to age and aesthetic identity” with the Generation of 1927.
He also studied Philosophy and Letters, and Architecture. As an architect he received two prizes in the National Architect's Competition. He was also professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Bernardo.
It is difficult, as in many cases with composers belonging to this period, to find more concrete information about their work and their musical evolution. According to the entry in the Dictionary of Spanish and
Latin-American music, he wished to follow in the footsteps of Poulenc, Milhaud, Hindemith, and especially Britten; however he did ascribe to an obvious revolutionary nationalism (Promenade, for orchestra, of
French influence) as well as to the abstract (as in his two string quartets Dorico and Domestico).
He wrote numerous works for piano, chamber music, orchestral works, ballets and other pieces which were performed by conductors of high calibre such as Ataulfo Argenta, Javier Alonso and Antonio Iglesias.
For his works Cinco Sonoridades (Five Sonorities) and Letargo (Lethargy) for piano he was awarded the National Prize by the Ministry of Culture.
(The Legacy of Manuel de Falla, Spanish Guitar Music from the Generation of 1927, Volume 1, Series directed & edited by Rafael Catalá)