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Manuel de Falla
Foundation
Archive
 
   
 
BRIEF HISTORY













 

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, in the autumn of 1939, Manuel de Falla departed from Granada bound for Argentina. His belongings remained in his house in the Antequeruela Alta, for Don Manuel took with him only his thoughts " and not least his memories of Granada. Under the guardianship of his friends, this legacy was kept in convents and other people's homes until, on Falla's death in 1946, his brother Germán began to collect the composer's documents together in Cádiz, along with those brought back from Argentina by his sister María del Carmen. In 1961, through contact with the then Mayor of Granada, Manuel Sola, the remainder of the books and documents were brought together and transferred to Madrid.

In 1962, the architect José María García de Paredes and the music critic Enrique Franco made a first attempt at putting the collection in order, in preparation for an exhibition of the composer's most representative belongings and documents at the Monasterio de San Jerónimo. This marked the establishment in Madrid, under the supervision of Isabel de Falla, of what was to become the basis of the present archive, and steps began to be taken to arrange for its definitive installation in Granada.

In 1965, Manuel de Falla's house in Granada was opened as a museum. This was followed in 1978 by the inauguration of the Centro Cultural Manuel de Falla, already marked out as the archive's eventual location. The plan for the archive's transfer from Madrid was given a boost by the municipal authorities in Granada, headed by the Mayor, Antonio Jara, and the Culture Councillor, José Miguel Castillo, who actively supported the project. In 1988, a decisive step was taken with the creation of the Fundación Archivo Manuel de Falla, which agreed to place its entire documentary collection on deposit in the city. This important agreement between the Fundación and the city council was strengthened by the involvement of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía and the University of Granada. In March 1991, the Archivo Manuel de Falla opened in the city that the composer had chosen as his place of residence during his years of maturity.

CONSERVATION AND AUGMENTATION OF THE COLLECTION
Cataloguing. Preventative conservation. Restoration work. Augmentation of the historical collection through purchases at national and international auctions, donations, and the exchange of copies with other archives. Continual updating of the reference library of books and other items about Falla's life, work and times, and their historical, cultural and musical contexts.


PROMOTION OF MUSICOLOGICAL STUDY
Editing and publishing three collections of books: "Estudios", "Facsímiles" and "Catálogos". Awarding of grants to support the writing of doctoral theses. Organisation of international seminars, study days, lecture series, round tables and courses in musical analysis, with the participation of internationally-recognised researchers. Collaborative agreements with foreign universities and research centres. Ongoing dissemination of the archive's collections and catalogues on the Internet.


CULTURAL DIFFUSION
Organisation, in association with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, of the annual "Encuentros Manuel de Falla". Organisation and itinerancy of exhibitions. Creation, maintenance and diffusion of the permanent exhibition The Universe of Manuel de Falla, in association with the Centro Cultural Manuel de Falla. Organisation of educational activities, in the form of workshops and guided visits to the exhibitions. Group visits to the Archive for societies and associations. Support for and promotion of activities relating to Manuel de Falla organised by other institutions. Publication of pamphlets, postcards, calendars and other products. Updating of the webpage including full details of the archive's services, activities and publications, and development of a Manuel de Falla internet site.