Biography
Francisco's training included piano studies with Albeniz, vocal instruction from Saldoni, clarinet lessons under Broca, and composition tutelage by Carnicer, which left him steeped in the traditions of Spanish music. This foundation led him to adopt a nomadic existence, supporting himself through his skills in whatever locales offered work. He eventually settled in Madrid, where he began writing for the stage. His earliest full opera to embrace a distinctly Spanish character, the zarzuela "Gloria y peluca," set the course he followed thereafter. Subsequent works in the same vein encompassed "Pan y toros," "Jugar con fuego," and "El barberillo de Lavapies." His most enduring achievement, however, remains the archive of historical Spanish music he assembled, above all the "Cancionero musical de los siglos XV y XVI," which comprises at least 459 transcriptions together with his own commentaries.