Summary Information

Title

Archive of Guillermo Fernández-Shaw.

ID

ES.28006.BFJM.LGFS

Date [inclusive]

1893-1965

Extent

15.0 Metres : 471 notebooks and folders, 13 boxes.

Language

Spanish

Preferred citation note

Example: Fernández-Shaw, Guillermo. Archive of Guillermo Fernández-Shaw [on line]. Madrid: Fundación Juan March, 2011. [Consult: (date of consult)]. Available on Web: www.march.es/bibliotecas/

Biographical/Historical note

A zarzuela librettist, playwright, journalism and poet, he was born in Madrid in 1893, the son of the poet and likewise librettist Carlos Fernández Shaw. He studied for his bachillerato at the Colegio de la Concepción and Humanities at the Universidad Central of Madrid, though his studies were interrupted when he started taking care of his seriously ill father at the young age of 13.

When he was 17 years he joined the editorial staff of the daily La Época, where he remained until it closed in 1936. He eventually worked in nearly all areas of journalism, even serving as a correspondent in the First World War. He also worked with ABC and other important provincial periodicals.

To recall major works of Guillermo Fernández-Shaw, many written in collaboration with Federico Romero, is to list some of the genre’s most important: La canción del olvido, in 1916 with music by José Serrano; El caserío (1926), La meiga (1928) and Peñamariana (1944) by Jesús Guridi; Luisa Fernanda (1932), La chulapona (1934) and Monte Carmelo (1939) by Federico Moreno Torroba. With music by Amadeo Vives: Doña Francisquita (1923), La villana (1927), Los flamencos (1928) and Talismán (1932). Jacinto Guerrero put music to La sombra del Pilar (1924), Las alondras (1927), La rosa del azafrán (1930), La Cibeles (1936) and Loza, lozana (1943). Pablo Sorozábal also worked with this singular pair of librettists, writing the music for No me olvides (1935), La tabernera del puerto (1936), ¡Cuidado con la pintura! (1939) and La Rosario o La Rambla de fin de siglo (1939).

Also worth mentioning in this impressive list are: El dictador (1923), with music by Rafael Millán, La serranilla (1919), Las delicias de Capua (1921) y Luna de mayo (1934) by Ernesto Pérez Rosillo, Juan Lucero (1941) by Ángel Barrios, Montbruc se va a la guerra (1945) by Juan Dotras Vila, La moza vieja (1931) by Pablo Luna, and La malquerida (1939) by Conrado del Campo.

After his break with Romero (1947), Guillermo Fernández-Shaw worked with his brother Rafael and together they brought to the Spanish lyrical stage a large number of works in one of the most complicated periods in the history of zarzuela. The following stand out among them: La duquesa del candil (1949) by Jesús García Leoz, Byron en Venecia (1949) by Eduardo Aunós, A todo color y Colorín colorao…(1950) by Manuel Parada; La Lola se va a los puertos (1951) with music by Ángel Barrios, El canastillo de fresas (1951) by Jacinto Guerrero; El gaitero de Gijón (1951) by Jesús Romo; María Manuela (1955) by Federico Moreno Torroba, and Sol de Levante (1965) by Ernesto Pérez Rosillo.

In spoken theatre Fernández-Shaw premiered plays such as Sexto piso (1941), Bolero (1943), Las mujeres en el teatro quinteriano (1945) and Estampas Isabelinas (1951). Among the significant group of unpublished works is Carlos de España, an ambitious page dedicated to the Emperor Charles I.

Besides being a theatre manager, Guillermo Fernández-Shaw also worked as an impresario in various stages of his life. In this area his activity was noteworthy at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela; he played a major role in its 1956 renovation as a delegate from the Spanish Authors Society, which then owned the property.

The legacy of his activity as a journalist includes around 700 articles on very diverse topics. As a poet he wrote more than 600 compositions dedicated to theatre and music figures, to the people and festivals of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and a series of collected poems in a book titled La Paz del Alma. He also translated into Spanish several books by the Catalan poet Miguel Saperas.
Guillermo Fernández-Shaw was a council member of the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) in different years, vice-president of the 1st Fine Arts Circle and a member of the Press Association.

He died on 17 August 1965 at Calle Claudio Coello number 60 in Madrid. (Biography by José Prieto Marugán, 2014)

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Biblioteca Española de Música y Teatro Contemporáneos de la Fundación Juan March.

Calle Castelló 77
Madrid
Spain

Conditions Governing Reproduction note

Reproduction is permitted for research and study purposes.

Conditions Governing Access note

User agrees to:

1. Comply with current legislation on intellectual property.

2. Do not use images and text the Archive of Guillermo Fernández-Shaw for any purpose other than teaching or research.

3. Cite data and information obtained from the Archive of Guillermo Fernández-Shaw indicating its origin and its location.

4. Notify the Spanish Library of Contemporary Music and Theatre of Fundación Juan March when conducting research and / or publications that use the archive materials, in order to improve the collection.

 

Custodial History note

Donated in 1981 by his heirs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

Donation.

Appraisal note

Given their historical interest, all of the documents are to be preserved permanently in accordance with Law 16/1985 of 25 June 1985 on Spanish Historical Heritage.

Existence and Location of Originals note

The Spanish Library of Contemporary Music and Theatre. Fundación Juan March. Madrid.