Manuel de Falla was the first Spanish composer to gain international recognition, and his music, although heavily influenced by classical and romantic composers, popularised the heady sound of traditional Spanish folk music.
Falla was born in Cadíz on , to a middle-class family that encouraged his precocious musical talent. In 1899, he began his career as a composer by writing zarzuela s (Spanish operetta) in order to raise money for his family, who had recently...