Photo: Unknown Unknown · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Ernesto Halffter
Person · male · Spain · Madrid · born 1905 · died 1989 · recording since 1997
Spanish composer (1905–1989)
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Also known as Ernesto Halffter Escriche · 埃内斯托·哈尔夫特
Timeline
14 events▣ Album 9✦ Award 2◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1900s
1960s
1980s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Halffter: Sinfonietta / Toldrà: Vistes al mar
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
· Album
Album: Sinfonietta / 2 Esquisses symphoniques / Al Amanecer / Habanera / Cavatina
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Sonatina / Rapsodia portuguesa / Automne malade / Dos canciones
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Piano Music: Sonatas / Suite de las doncellas / Homages / Dos piezas cubanas
Album
source: musicbrainz
2010s
Biography
English biography567 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1335544443
Biography
Ernesto Halffter Escriche (16 January 1905 – 5 July 1989) was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was the brother of Rodolfo Halffter and part of the Grupo de los Ocho (English: Group of Eight), which formed a sub-set of the Generation of '27.
Early years
Ernesto Halffter was the third son of Prussian jeweller Ernest Halffter Hein and his wife Rosario Escriche Erradón. He was the younger brother of composer Rodolfo Halffter and the uncle of composer Cristóbal Halffter.
Halffter was born in Madrid and studied at the Colegio Alemán de Madrid. He wrote his earliest composition at the age of six, and in 1922 his piano teacher Fernando Ember performed three pieces from Crepúsculos at the Ritz Hotel in Madrid. After meeting Manuel de Falla in 1923, Halffter sent Falla the score of his "Homenajes" trio for violin, cello and piano, which began a long relationship that included composition lessons from Falla.
Career
Halffter's Sinfonietta is one of his earliest and best works; it shows the influence of Domenico Scarlatti. Later, he became more nationalistic with Rapsodia portuguesa for piano and orchestra, composed in 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. He wrote music for a dozen films. Perhaps the most noteworthy is Don Quixote de la Mancha, the 1947 film version of Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel. He also adapted and conducted the music for El amor brujo (1967), based on the ballet by Falla. It was directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta, was nominated for an Oscar and features guitarist Narciso Yepes.
In 1934 Halffter became director and conductor of the Seville Conservatory of Music but, being married to the Portuguese pianist Alice Câmara Santos, chose to live in Lisbon during this period up to 1954. His only pupil was the Finnish composer Ann-Elise Hannikainen, who also became his life companion during his later life.
When Falla died in 1946, he left his opera Atlántida incomplete; Ernesto Halffter was asked to complete it. It premiered in 1962, but Halffter later revised it. The second version was completed in 1976.
In 1974, the Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueras, Spain, was opened. Halffter was a personal friend of Salvador Dalí, and was asked to write a piece of music to celebrate the event. In response he composed Homenaje a Salvador Dalí.
Halffter was awarded Spain's Premio Nacional de Música for composition in 1984. He died in Madrid.
Compositions
Deux esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre (La chanson du lanternier; Paysage mort) (1922–1925)
Hommages: petite suite pour trio (1922)
Sinfonietta (1925)
Automne malade (poem by Apollinaire), 1925/1927, published in 1929 (voice and piano or orchestra)
Dos canciones (1927)
L'hiver de l'enfance (1928–34)
Canciones del niño de cristal (1931–34)
Canzone e pastorella for cello and piano (1934)
Amanecer en los jardines de España (1937)
Señora (1938)
Rapsodia portuguesa for piano and orchestra (1939)
Seis canciones portuguesas (1940–41)
Canção do berço (1940–41)
Canto inca (1944)
Seguidilla caselera (1945)
Canción de Dorotea (1947)
Fantasía española for cello and piano (1952)
Atlántida (completion of Falla's work: 1961; revision 1976)
Canticum (1964)
Psalmi (1967)
Concerto for guitar and orchestra (1969)
Madrigalesca for guitar (1969)
Homenaje a Salvador Dalí for trumpets, percussion, tenor, piano and mixed choir (1974)
Pregón (1974)
Sonatina, one-act ballet (first performed in a version for piano solo, played by José Cubiles on 16 November 1927; then in a concert version for orchestra, 11 February 1928, and finally as a fully staged ballet, 18 June 1928)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 9 | 90th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 14 | 90.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -8 | 8.8th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (9 release groups · 9 studio albums)
Albums · 9
Halffter: Sinfonietta / Toldrà: Vistes al mar
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 53:56
1Sinfonietta: I. Pastorella: Allegro9:512Sinfonietta: II. Adagio12:353Sinfonietta: III. Minuetto: Allegretto vivace6:464Sinfonietta: IV. Allegro giocoso8:475Vistes al mar: I. Allegro con brio4:236Vistes al mar: II. Lento6:567Vistes al mar: III. Molto vivace4:38Esquisses symphoniques / Rapsodia portuguesa / Sinfonietta
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:01:32
0Pregap1Rapsodia portuguesa16:452Deux Esquisses symphoniques: La Chanson du lanternier3:153Deux Esquisses symphoniques: Paysage mort6:554Sinfonietta: I. Pastorela10:225Sinfonietta: II. Adagio9:456Sinfonietta: III. Minuetto5:487Sinfonietta: IV. Allegro giocoso8:42Sinfonietta / 2 Esquisses symphoniques / Al Amanecer / Habanera / Cavatina
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:04:21
1Habanera9:322Cavatina4:033Al amanecer4:3842 Esquisses symphoniques: No. 1, Paysage mort6:0452 Esquisses symphoniques: No. 2, La chanson du lanternier3:096Sinfonietta in D major: I. Pastorella. Allegro10:257Sinfonietta in D major: II. Adagio10:548Sinfonietta in D major: III. Minuetto. Allegretto vivace6:319Sinfonietta in D major: IV. Allegro giocoso9:05Sonatina / Rapsodia portuguesa / Automne malade / Dos canciones
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:10:16
1Sonatina: 1. Introducción1:262Sonatina: 2. La princesa (El dragón)2:453Sonatina: 3. Las doncellas (Suite de danzas): a. Rigaudon6:474Sonatina: 3. Las doncellas (Suite de danzas): b. Zarabanda3:045Sonatina: 3. Las doncellas (Suite de danzas): c. Giga4:156Sonatina: 4. La pastora (Escena, aria y danza)7:177Sonatina: 5. Las doncellas (Fandango)3:588Sonatina: 6. La gitana (Escena y danza)4:549Sonatina: 7. El príncipe (Aparición - El beso)1:1310Sonatina: 8. Danza final5:3211Automne malade6:4912Dos canciones: No. 1. La corza blanca1:3213Dos canciones: No. 2. La niña que se va al mar3:2814Rapsodia portuguesa17:16Grandes pianistas españoles, vol. 2
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:09:24
1Sonata en la menor, op. 42, D. 845: Moderato10:472Sonata en la menor, op. 42, D. 845: Andante con moto11:383Sonata en la menor, op. 42, D. 845: Scherzo. Allegro vivace6:454Sonata en la menor, op. 42, D. 845: Rondo. Allegro vivace5:195Rapsodia portuguesa16:526Totentanz (danza de la muerte), paráfrasis sobre el Dies irae18:03Sinfonietta, Elegia y Psalmi XXII & CXVI
2006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 45:01
1Sinfonietta: I. Pastorela8:052Sinfonietta: II. Adagio12:033Sinfonietta: III. Minuetto6:394Sinfonietta: IV. Allegro giocoso8:565Elegía7:386Psalmi XXII: Eominus Pastor Menus et Hospes Meus7Psalmi CXVI: Hymnus Laudis et gratiarum action1:40Piano Music: Sonatas / Suite de las doncellas / Homages / Dos piezas cubanas
2007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 2:08:57
Disc 11Crepúsculos: I. El viejo reloj del castillo5:202Crepúsculos: II. Lullaby2:243Crepúsculos: III. Una ermita en el bosque2:494Marche joyeuse3:065Sonata per pianoforte6:576L'espagnolade5:577Grüss2:298Serenata a Dulcinea6:229Dos piezas cubanas, nº 1: Habanera3:5010Dos piezas cubanas, nº 2: Pregón3:2311Preludio y danza6:4412Llanto por Ricardo Viñes5:0013Sonate "Homenaje a Domenico Scarlatti"8:1314Nocturno otoñal, "Recordando a Chopin"4:0515Homenaje a J. Turina2:1416Homenaje a F. Mompou3:0817Homenaje a R. Halffter3:34Disc 21Suite de las doncellas: I. Rigaudon8:292Suite de las doncellas: II. Zarabanda3:113Suite de las doncellas: III. Giga4:144Suite de las doncellas: IV. Danza de la pastora3:525Suite de las doncellas: V. Las doncellas. Fandango4:366Suite de las doncellas: VI. Danza de la gitana4:187Suite de las doncellas: VII. Danza final6:318Valencia II, pasodoble3:379Panaderos4:3210Boleras de la Cachucha7:3111Tres piezas infantiles, nº 1: Serenade0:3712Tres piezas infantiles, nº 2: Valse0:5613Tres piezas infantiles, nº 3: Marche0:582009 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 1:19:19
1Espagnolade4:392Crepusculos: I. El Viejo reloj del Castillo5:433Crepusculos: II. Lullaby2:004Crepusculos: III. Una ermita en el bosque3:095March joyeuse2:446Piezas infantiles: I. Serenata0:457Piezas infantiles: II. Valse1:098Piezas infantiles: III. Petite March1:149Piano Sonata6:0010Three Dances from the Ballet Sonatina: I. La pastora3:3111Three Dances from the Ballet Sonatina: II. Las Doncellas3:5312Three Dances from the Ballet Sonatina: III. La gitana3:4313Gruss2:2214Llanto por Ricardo Viñes3:5215Serenata a Dulcinea5:2216Pregón "Cuba"2:4017Habanera4:1118Preludio y danza5:1919Nocturno otoñal "Recordando a Chopin"3:4820Piano Sonata "Homenaje a Domenico Scarlatti"5:3821Homenaje a Rodolfo Halffter3:1322Homenaje a Federico Mompou2:3223Homenaje a Joaquin Turina1:522011 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:06:55
1Carmen: Animé1:242Carmen: Modéré (Sombre)4:273Carmen: “La Vieille Castille”. Animé1:264Carmen: “En Andalousie”. Triste et mystérieuse6:285Carmen: “Real Fábrica de Tabacos”11:246Carmen: Mystérieux, calme0:497Carmen: Mystérieux0:488Carmen: Très retenu1:299Carmen: “Danse de Carmen”. Moderato non troppo - Pesante2:3110Carmen: Pesante (mais en mesure)3:4811Carmen: “Soledad”. Allegretto1:1212Carmen: “La route de la côte vers Tarifa”5:1113Carmen: “A l'aube”. Très lointain1:3414Carmen: Triste et mystérieuse12:5715Carmen: “Paso doble”: Brillante1:3616Carmen: Mystérieux, calme1:5017Carmen: “Mort de Carmen”. Calme8:01
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Ernesto Halffter head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 13 | 67.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 9 | 81.7th |
| Studio albums | 9 | 90th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 14 | 90.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -8 | 8.8th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise | won | |
| 1983 | Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernesto_Halffter%2C_anni_1960_-_collezione_Tino_Barindelli.tifaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c6e9e992-4707-4813-8bd5-2cd90a80d5b4discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c6e9e992-4707-4813-8bd5-2cd90a80d5b4core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q940656seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Halffterbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Halffter
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Unknown Unknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q940656 · MusicBrainz: c6e9e992-4707-4813-8bd5-2cd90a80d5b4
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