Luisa Lacal de Bracho
Luisa Lacal de Bracho | |
|---|---|
| Born | María Luisa Lacal Infanzón c. 1874 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 1962 Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | pianist, musicologist, lexicographer and writer |
| Education | Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu |
| Literary movement | Sociedad General de Autores y Editores |
| Notable works | Diccionario de la música, técnico histórico, bio-bibliográfico, publicado (1899) |
| Notable awards | Gold Medal at the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition Civil Order of Alfonso XII |
| Spouse | Carlos Bracho Jiménez (m. 1900) |
| Relatives | Eva Canel (cousin) |
Luisa Lacal de Bracho (née María Luisa Lacal Infanzón, 1874–1962) was a Spanish pianist, musicologist, lexicographer and writer. She was the author of the first dictionary of musical terminology by a Spanish woman.
Biography
Luisa Lacal de Bracho was born in Madrid in 1874 to Amalia Infanzón Igaraiburu, aunt of Eva Canel, and Saturnino Lacal, secretary of the Moderate Party of Isabella II.[1][2] Her father was also a member of the third squadron of the National Militia, formed by the Spanish nobility and upper bourgeoisie for the restoration of Alfonso XII.[1] Coming from a bourgeois, conservative and monarchist family, she began her musical education at an early age. She gave her first musical recital at the age of 13.
No later than 1883, de Bracho's family moved to Barcelona where she continued her piano studies at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu. She was recognized with various prizes for her concerts, such as the Gold Medal at the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition and First Prize and Grand Medal of the Royal Conservatory of Barcelona in 1890. Along with this, she gave musical lectures[3] and was appointed as a teacher and part of the faculty of the conservatory in the 1890-91 academic year. She finished her piano studies at the National Conservatory of Madrid.[4]
While developing her repertoire between 1894 and 1899, de Bracho performed as a concert pianist and participated as a member of the Red Cross in various charitable activities and also in events for the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers) as an honorary member.[4] In 1900, she married Carlos Bracho Jiménez, a professor in the military riding corps and also a member of the Red Cross. Through the next several years, she moved between various Spanish cities, though she continued her work as a concert pianist.[1]
In 1899, de Bracho wrote Diccionario de la música, técnico histórico, bio-bibliográfico, publicado (Technical, historical, bio-bibliographical Dictionary of music), which was the first dictionary of musical terminology by a Spanish woman.[5][6] It received widespread acclaim at the time of publication[5] and was reprinted several times.[4]
In 1900, she married Carlos Bracho Jiménez and they adopted three children together.[7]
In 1909, de Bracho was appointed to the Civil Order of Alfonso XII.[1][7]
De Bracho later published two novels, Trinar de amores (Lovers' Chirping), in 1921, a collections of short stories that she had been publishing in the specialized magazine Gloria Femenina throughout the 1920s, and Peregrina de la ilusión (Pilgrim of Illusion) in 1929.[1][8] She was known for writing in a simple and direct style with rhythmic descriptions.[9] Her novels were adapted into radio plays.[7]
De Bracho died in 1962 in Madrid.[4][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e Merín, Mercedes Quilis (2019). "Luisa Lacal, the first Spanish lexicographer, and her Diccionario de la música, técnico, histórico, bio-biográfico" (PDF). Revista argentina de historiografía lingüística. XI (1): 47–75.
- ^ "BLANCO Y NEGRO MADRID 01-01-1911 - Archivo ABC". abc. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "Luisa Lacal de Bracho". Música Madrid (in Spanish). 1 April 1917. Retrieved 25 July 2025 – via Biblioteca Nacional de España.
- ^ a b c d "Lacal de Bracho, Luisa (1874-1962)". Biblioteca Virtual de la Filología Española (Virtual Library of Spanish Philology). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ a b Ayres-Bennett, Wendy; Sanson, Helena (2020). Women in the History of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-19-875495-4.
- ^ Torres, Miguel Ángel Esparza; Niederehe, Hans-Josef (15 October 2015). Bibliografía cronológica de la lingüística, la gramática y la lexicografía del español (BICRES V): Desde el año 1861 hasta el año 1899 (in Spanish). John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 805. ISBN 978-90-272-6779-5.
- ^ a b c d "Lacal de Bracho, Luisa". Biblioteca Nacional de España (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ Entrambasaguas, Joaquín de (1961). Las Mejores Novelas Contemporáneas: 1925-1929 (in Spanish). Editorial Planeta. p. 1576.
- ^ Gómez, Tomás Segado (5 May 1921). "Una Gran Novelista". El Telegrama del Rif (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2025 – via Biblioteca Virtual de Prensa Histórica.