Luís Maria da Costa de Freitas Branco (Lisbon, 12 October 1890 – Lisbon, 27 November 1955) was a Portuguese composer and professor of music who played a preeminent part in the development of Portuguese music in the first half of the 20th century.
Luis de Freitas Branco was born into an aristocratic family who for centuries had had close ties to the royal family in Portugal. He had a cosmopolitan education, studied piano and violin beginning in childhood and began composing at a precocious age. He studied music in Berlin and Paris, where he worked with Engelbert Humperdinck and other composers. He returned to Portugal and became professor of composition starting in 1916 at the Lisbon Conservatory of Music. There he taught, among many others, Joly Braga Santos.
Freitas Branco was a leading force in restructuring musical education at the Conservatory. He was also a musicologist of note, did research on Portuguese Baroque composers and published a book about the musical works… read more
Luís Maria da Costa de Freitas Branco (Lisbon, 12 October 1890 – Lisbon, 27 November 1955) was a Portuguese composer and professor of music who played a preeminent part in the development of Portuguese music in the first half of the 20th century.
Luis de Freitas Branco was born into an aristocratic family who for centuries had had close ties to the royal family in Portugal. He had a cosmopolitan education, studied piano and violin beginning in childhood and began composing at a precocious age. He studied music in Berlin and Paris, where he worked with Engelbert Humperdinck and other composers. He returned to Portugal and became professor of composition starting in 1916 at the Lisbon Conservatory of Music. There he taught, among many others, Joly Braga Santos.
Freitas Branco was a leading force in restructuring musical education at the Conservatory. He was also a musicologist of note, did research on Portuguese Baroque composers and published a book about the musical works of King John IV of Portugal (1603–1656) who had been an accomplished composer and introduced new music to Portugal.
He was the brother of the Portuguese conductor Pedro de Freitas Branco.
He married Estela Diniz de Ávila e Sousa, born on 18 August 1892, daughter of João Deodato de Ávila e Sousa (b. São Jorge Island, Velas, Velas, 10 November 1861) and wife Margarida Diniz, without issue.
He had an illegitimate son by Maria Clara Dambert Filgueiras, of French descent:
João de Freitas Branco (Lisbon, 10 January 1922 – Lisbon, Caxias, 17 November 1989), married firstly to Maria Helena von Hoffmann de Barros de Abreu, daughter of António de Barros de Abreu, a lawyer, and wife German Marie Anna Helena von Hoffmann, and had issue, three children, and married secondly in 1954 to Maria Isabel do Nascimento, and had issue, one son. —Wikipedia
