Manuel de Elías

Works for Cello

Fantasía (1962), for cello solo.

Diálogo (1965), for cello and piano.

Concerto (1990), for cello and orchestra.

Preámbulo (1992), for cello solo.

Tríptico “Homenaje a Shostakovich” (1995), for cello solo.

Homérica (1996), for cello solo.

Página Elegíaca (2012), for cello solo.

Works for Viola

Preludio (1962), for viola and piano.

Elegia (1962), for viola and piano.

Preludio (1962), for viola solo.

Preludio (1976), for viola solo.

Concierto de Cámara (1992), for viola and string orchestra and percussion.

Praeludium (2008), for viola solo.

Sources:

  • Furman Schleifer, M., and Galván, G. (2016). Latin American Classical Composers, A Biographical Dictionary. London: Rowman & Littlefield.

  • Pérez, R. (January 2001). Elías, Manuel de. Grove Music Online. https://doi-org.proxy.lawrence.edu:2443/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.47544

  • Zubek, D. (2016). Introduction to Mexican Music for Solo Cello (1962-2014) from a Performer’s Perspective. [Doctoral thesis, University of Toronto]. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/77388/3/Zubek_Dobrochna_J_201611_DMA_thesis.pdf

Manuel de Elías

Mexican composer, conductor, and pianist, born June 5, 1939.

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Manuel de Elías first studied music with his father, Alfonso de Elías. De Elías continued his music studies at the Conservatorio Nacional and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; he also attended multiple composition lectures on new music given by Karlheinz Stockhausen. Meticulous elaboration defines de Elías’s composition style; this can be seen in the complex textures and thoughtful development that are prominent in each of his works. Many of his scores seek to inspire expressive playing by expanding the demands made on the performer through the use of serialism, polytonality, and extended techniques.

De Elías was appointed conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guadalajara in 1987. He has also been a guest conductor in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Spain, the USA, and Argentina. He served as the director of Las Rosas Conservatory from 1990-91 and as the director of music at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1991.

In addition to his work as a composer and conductor, de Elías founded three significant institutions: the Instituto de Música of the Universidad de Veracruz (1975), the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz (1980), and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco (1988).