Born in Olot in Catalonia in 1729, died at the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in 1783; Padre Antonio Soler was a composer, organist and monk of the Hieronymite order. He was trained at the Escolania of Montserrat Abbey; in 1752 he entered El Escorial, where he served as organist and maestro de capilla and taught the infantes of the Spanish court. He is known above all for his harpsichord sonatas, which follow on from Domenico Scarlatti and develop him further in rhythm and harmony; he also wrote organ works, church music, villancicos and the Conciertos for two organs. In 1762 he published the theoretical treatise “Llave de la modulacion”. Two albums connect him with Cybele: Martin Schmeding recorded sonatas for Mallorca Edition Historic Organs (Vol. 1, 2017), and in 2018 Jeremy Joseph and Jürgen Essl recorded the 6 Conciertos for 2 Organs R.463 (145).
Padre Antonio Soler
Composer
