From his handwriting have come the melodies that are part of the sentimental and musical heritage of Holy Week in Seville. The resounding bass fort of Macarena, the sung hail of Crowned Incarnation, the trumpet solo of The bugles cry, the Hymn to Hope between Rosario and Sentencia, or La Madrugá, to dry, masterpiece of this extraordinary musician, composer and director.
Abel Moreno grants this interview to The Palquillo, the website of the brotherhoods of Seville newspaper, in which he tells some of the most significant moments of his extensive career, as well as anecdotes, experiences and personal opinions about the current Holy Week.
A life dedicated to music
Abel Moreno Gómez is considered one of the greatest and most important composers of Holy Week marches of the 20th century, along with names such as López Farfán, Gámez Laserna, Pedro Morales and José Albero. He has to his credit around 200 works, although the one that has given him the most popularity is the one he dedicated in 1987 to the brotherhoods of the early morning of Good Friday in Seville, La Madrugá. This piece was part of the movie Alatriste, shot in 2006, giving the final scene equal parts drama and epic.
Throughout his military career he has led the bands of the Military Government of Zaragoza, the Military Government of Algeciras, the Mountain Division of Pamplona, the Guzmán el Bueno Division (Soria 9) and the Immemorial Infantry Regiment. del Rey nº 1 in Madrid.
Holy Week in Soria 9
But to say Abel Moreno in Seville is to say Soria 9: the mythical formation that he directed between 1984 and 1996, and with which he accompanied brotherhoods such as La Paz, the Museum, the Students, the Bakers, the Soledad de San Buenaventura or the Santo Entierro, among others. During those years he left an important musical legacy for Holy Week in Seville. In 1996 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, a rank that forced him to leave Soria 9 to direct the King’s Immemorial Infantry Regiment No. 1, in Madrid.
His hometown is Encinasola, in Huelva, where he currently has his own museum where all his memories and belongings of great sentimental value are exhibited. Before his time in Seville, he lived for eleven years in Zaragoza between 1963 and 1974, where he entered the General Military Academy and was part of its music band, in addition to studying higher music studies at the conservatory. In 2007 he was a town crier for Holy Week in Zaragoza.
A brilliant trajectory
Multiple decorations and recognitions endorse his impeccable military and musical career, such as the Medal of Huelva and that of his province, the Medal of Merit of the Civil Guard, the Medal of the Society of Authors of France, the Red Cross Medal or the Medal of the European Congress.
Moreno Gómez has composed the Anthem of Huelva and the Hymn to Esperanza Macarena, also Sevillanas Betis and Sevilla, without leaving behind bullfighting pasodobles dedicated to great figures such as Litri, Dávila Miura, Juli, Morante de la Puebla or Sebastián Castella. Almost a dozen military marches can be found in his extensive composer work. Just to name a few. The bugles cry, La Madrugá, Macarena, At the Voice of the Foreman, Crowned Incarnation, Flower Donors… Between the 80s and 90s of the last century are the most popular marches of this author.
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