Pablo Luna

Pablo Luna Carné (May 21, 1879 Alhama de Aragón – January 28, 1942 Madrid) was a Spanish composer. His best-known composition is the aria “De España vengo” from the zarzuela El niño judío. Life Pablo Luna received his first lessons in music theory from an organist at a church in his birthplace, Alhama de Aragón. His father, Pablo Luna Ferrer, who was a member of the Civil Guard, had moved with his family to the valley of the Ebro. He studied harmony with Teodoro Ballo and composition with Miguel Arnaudas. As a violinist, Luna would make money in hotels, cafes, churches and a small chamber orchestra, as well as in theaters. In 1903 he wrote his first operetta, Lolilla, la Petenera which was followed in 1904 by La Escalera de los Duendes (The Ladder of the Elves). In 1905, he moved to Madrid to learn more about the world of zarzuela. In particular, he contacted Ruperto Chapí, the second director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and Tomás Barrera Saavedra, a later director of the orchestra, Jerónimo Giménez y Bellido and others. He also knew the librettist Luis Pascual Frutos, who wrote the libretto for the operetta Mussetta, which premiered successfully in 1908. This operetta was follow