Francisco Asenjo Barbieri

Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (August 3, 1823 - February 19, 1894) was a Spanish clarinetist, composer, and musicologist. Barbieri was a well-known composer of zarzuelas. He has been referred to as the “most important of all nineteenth-century composers" of the genre. Some of his most well known works in the genre include El barberillo de Lavapiés, Jugar con fuego, and Pan y toros. Early life Asenjo Barbieri was born on August 3, 1823 in Madrid as Francisco Asenjo to his father José Asenjo, a cabinet runner, and his mother Petra Barbieri. His father died in the Spanish Civil War when he was young, so he was primarily raised by his mother and his maternal grandfather. He would later take on his mother’s last name of Barbieri. As a child, Barbieri would frequent the Teatro de la Cruz, the theater his grandfather managed. It was here that he was exposed to much of the music that would influence him in his later career. During this time, Barbieri was taught solfège by José Ordóñez Mayorito, a professor at his grandfather’s theater. Originally as a young teenager Barbieri considered being a physician, but avoided the career due to an aversion to examining cadavers. At the behest of his step