Francisco Cristancho Hernández
Francisco Cristancho Hernández | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 February 1941 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Died | 5 May 2023 (aged 82) Bogotá, Colombia |
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Francisco Cristancho Hernández[a] (1941–2023) was a Colombian musician and composer. He directed several orchestras including the Orquesta Colombiana, and taught music at various conservatories and universities in Colombia.
Biography
Early life and education
Cristancho was born on 18 February 1941 in Bogotá, to Francisco Cristancho Camargo and Sofía Hernández.[1] His father was a composer, trombonist, and guitarist, who led his own orchestra. When Francisco Jr. was 7 years old, his father took the family on a musical tour of South America that included Brazil, Venezuela, Curaçao, and Trinidad.[1][2]
Cristancho went to school in Bogotá, learned to play cello from Ludwig Matzenauer, and was taught piano by Lucia Pérez at the music conservatory of the National University of Colombia.[1] He also learned trumpet, which he later played in his father's orchestra for nine years.[1]
Music career
In 1958 Cristancho had his debut performance as a part of his father's orchestra for RCN Radio.[3] For eight years, he was a cellist with the Colombian Symphony Orchestra, where his brother Mauricio Cristancho Hernández was a violinist.[4][1]
Cristancho was a member of the orchestra of Luis Biava, and he directed the Boyacá Symphonic Band, the departmental band of Tolima, and the Bogotá Symphonic Band.[1][4] He played with Blas Emilio Atehortúa's orchestra, and when Atehortúa retired in 1971, Cristancho took over leadership and renamed it the Orquesta Colombiana.[1]
Cristancho composed 40 pieces of his own, and arranged hundreds more.[5] He recorded 12 LPs, including Bambuco (his first commercial success) and Guatavita.[4]
Teaching career
As a young man Cristancho taught at a music school in Tunja.[2] He later taught music at the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública, the National University of Colombia, and the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia.[3][1] He also taught at the Centro de Orientación Musical Francisco Cristancho Camargo, which he founded with his brother Mauricio.[4]
El Espectador wrote that "under his tutelage, more than four generations of musicians have been trained, including drummer Germán Sandoval, bassist and composer Juan Carlos Padilla, pianists William Maestre, Orlando Sandoval, Ricardo Uribe and Fabio Martínez, and singer and guitarist Ana María González".[1]: q
Personal life and death
Cristancho lived with his wife in Anapoima. He died on 5 May 2023 in Bogotá.[1]
Notes
- ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cristancho and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Irene Littfack (5 May 2023), "Francisco Cristancho Hernández, una vida para la música" [Francisco Cristancho Hernández, a life devoted to music], El Espectador (in Spanish), retrieved 23 October 2025
- ^ a b ""Grandes Espectáculos Musicales Populares Deben Ser Organizados" Dice el joven artista Francisco Cristancho" ["Great Popular Musical Shows Must Be Organised" Says young artist Francisco Cristancho], El Tiempo (in Spanish), p. 13, 25 March 1963, retrieved 24 October 2025
- ^ a b José I. Pinilla Aguilar (1980). "Cristancho Hernández Francisco". Cultores de la Música Colombiana (in Spanish). Editorial Ariana. pp. 140–141. OCLC 253182806.
- ^ a b c d Carolina Iriarte (1999). "Cristancho Hernández, Francisco". In Emilio Casares Rodicio (ed.). Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana (in Spanish). Vol. 4: Corella – Fatturoso. Sociedad General de Autores y Editores. p. 167. ISBN 84-8048-307-5.
- ^ "Falleció el maestro Francisco Cristancho Hernández" [Maestro Francisco Cristancho Hernández has died], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), 5 May 2023, retrieved 24 October 2025
External links
- Francisco Cristancho Hernández discography at Discogs