2023-08-15 18:35:24
Considered one of the main innovators of Spanish music of the sixties and recipient of a large number of outstanding awards, the composer from Navarre Agustín González Acilu died on Monday at the age of 94 in Madrid, where he lived. The composer from Alsasuarra was awarded the Príncipe de Viana de la Cultura in 2009 and received the National Music Award on two occasions, first in 1971 and later in 1998.
His true passion was always composition, an activity for which in 2009 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Madrid Royal Conservatory of Music, a distinction granted to significant personalities in the music scene. The same year in which the Government of Navarra distinguished him with the Prince of Viana Award for Culture. Among some of his recognitions, in 2011, he became an honorary doctor from the Public University of Navarra.
His catalog of works is characterized by its formal coherence and its strong expressionism. He constantly experimented with musical techniques and also conducted research in music and linguistics. His interest in phonetics led him to explore the expressive potential of different languages in his music.
Born in Alsasua in 1929, his first contact with music was through his mentor, Luis Taberna, organist of the local parish and director of the municipal music band. Starting in 1940, he began his studies in music theory, clarinet and saxophone with Taberna, and was also a performer in the local band. In addition to his interest in music, Acilu worked as a metal worker in a foundry in Alsasua. This experience taught him the importance of hard work and the value of doing things right.
From the army to the conservatory
During his military service in Madrid, he joined the Air Force Music Band, where he stayed from 1950 to 1956 to be able to pay for his studies at the Superior Conservatory of Music in the same city. His teachers at the conservatory were Julio Gómez, Francisco Calés and Enrique Massó.
His compositional work earned him the Gold Medal of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid
In 1957, he passed the opposition for the National Corps of Directors of Civilian Music Bands, but decided not to hold the position and continue to focus on composition. He traveled abroad on a scholarship in 1960 and had the opportunity to meet important avant-garde composers in Paris, Rome, Venice, and Darmstadt.
In 1978, he became a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, where he taught Harmony until his retirement. In addition to teaching, Acilu was a founding member of the Association of Spanish Symphonic Composers (ACSE) in 1976.
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