Manuel
Faria

Manuel Faria (1916-1983) was born in Braga, Portugal. He assimilated, from an early age, alternative models to the canons of harmony and composition and successfully exhibited, in religious academic and musical circles, compositions of his authorship considered extemporaneous for the time. In 1939, the Archdiocese of Braga supported the young seminarian, sending him to the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra in Rome. After the Second World War, he was able to complete his training in Organ, Gregorian chant and Sacred Composition with a scholarship from the Instituto de Alta Cultura. His enormous appetite for learning about new experiences and his passage through Paris, on his return to Portugal, made him an admirer of French composers of the mid-20th century. In 1961, Manuel Faria received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, establishing himself again in Italy to deepen his studies in the field of Composition and to promote his work. In 1972, he received the 1st Prize of the Carlos Seixas National Competition.