Antonio Soler

Antonio (Francisco Javier José) Soler (Ramos)
(bap. Olot, Gerona, 3 Dec 1729; d El Escorial, 20 Dec 1783).

Catalan composer and organist. At the age of six, after instruction from his father, Marcos Mateo Pedro Soler (a band musician in the regiment of Numancia), he entered the famous music school Escolanía in the monastery of Montserrat. His teachers included Benito Esteve de Capellades, Manuel Espona de Manlleu and Andrés Jaumeandreu de Granollers. He studied the major organ works of Cabanilles and Miguel López and by the age of 14 had already learnt José Elías's 24 works in all the major and minor keys. According to an anonymous obituary at El Escorial he made such progress in Montserrat that he competed for the post of maestro de capilla in two cathedrals and was successful at Lérida. This, however, is not supported by documentary evidence: it seems more probable that he was appointed maestro de capilla at Seo de Urgel Cathedral, where he was ordained sub-deacon in 1752. On 25 September 1752 he joined the Hieronymite order at EI Escorial and became the permanent organist. After his probationary year he was described in the Escorial capitular acts as ‘satisfactory in Latin, but has a famous ability at the organ and in composition’. For his profession on 29 September 1753 he composed a Veni creator for eight voices and strings, whose manuscript title-page has an illustration of a monk (presumably Soler) prostrate before the altar. The date on which Soler became maestro de capilla at El Escorial is not known, but he probably inherited the position after the death of Padre Gabriel de Moratilla in 1757. Despite his heavy duties as a priest and maestro de capilla Soler wrote a substantial number of works, spending as much of his recreational time as possible composing. He required little sleep, retiring at midnight or l am and rising for Mass at 4 am, and he built a small table so that he could compose even when lying ill in bed.