Jacinto Freire
Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 1950, Jacinto Freire enrolled in that country’s National Conservatory where he studied guitar with Carlos Bonilla Chávez and César Léon Meneses. After graduating with a degree in guitar performance in 1975, he remained in that institution for several more years, where he studied counterpoint, orchestration and composition. Until his retirement in 2012, Freire was on the faculty of the National Conservatory for many years, where he taught not only guitar, but also, music history, music theory and orchestration. During this same time, he presented many recitals in and around Quito.
As a composer, in 1983 Freire received First Prize from the Municipality of Quito for his overture, El Camino de la libertad. Four years later, his wind quartet, Así es mi pueblo, received first prize in the Sixto M. Durán Composition Competition. During that same year, his first symphony, subtitled “Mi génesis,” won second prize in an open competition organized by the National Conservatory. In this three-movement work, the composer seeks to musically represent the historical development of his country by linking pentatonic thematic materials with European diatonicism.
Although his compositional style largely turns around a nationalism enriched by European techniques and influences, in his later works Freire leans towards incorporating more universalist tendencies.
Jacinto’s Compositions
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