José Bernardo Alzedo
José Bernardo Alzedo (August 20, 1788 – December 28, 1878) was a Peruvian composer. Alzedo was born in Lima, Peru. He studied music at the Convento de San Agustín, and composed Misa en Re Mayor (Mass [Hymn] in D Major) when he was 18 years old. In 1806, he became a Dominican friar; his behaviour was considered lax by the fellow members of that religious order. Alzedo was the winner of an 1821 contest sponsored by General José de San Martín to choose a national anthem for Peru, being his winning opus called Somos libres, seámoslo siempre ("We are free; so shall we ever be"), with lyrics by José de la Torre Ugarte. In 1822, Alzedo went to Chile as a soldier in a military band. In Santiago, he left the military and dedicated himself to music. He joined the choir of the Cathedral of Santiago in 1833. In 1846, he became kapellmeister. He resided in Chile for 42 years, returning to Peru in 1864. He became director of the Peruvian military band, and president of the Philharmonic. He spent the last years of his life in Peru, and wrote the book Filosofía Elemental de la Música (Elementary Philosophy of Music) in 1869, in which he discourses upon Quechuan music. He composed folk songs, numerous religious works, and also military music. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Lima (capital and largest city of Peru), Died December 28, 1878 (Lima (capital and largest city of Peru) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1905 - 1934
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-36011 | 10-in. | 7/30/1926 | Himno nacional del Perú | Coro de Hombres ; Antonio P. Utrera | Male vocal chorus and soloist, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | L-190 | 10-in. | 9/9/1913 | Himno nacional del Perú | Banda de la Escuela Correccional de Lima | Band | composer | |
| Victor | G-2314 | 10-in. | 8/29/1917 | Himno nacional peruano | Banda del Batallón Gendarmes No. 1 | Band | composer | |
| Victor | G-2430 | 10-in. | 9/16/1917 | Himno nacional del Perú | Coro de la Sociedad "G. Verdi" | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 5444 | 10-in. | 1904 or 1905 | Himno nacional del Peru | Curti's Band | Band | composer | |
| Columbia | WP31 | 10-in. | approximately 1934 | Himno nacional del Perú | Banda de la Marina Americana ; Teniente Charles Benter | Band | composer | |
| Brunswick | E28884 | 10-in. | 12/8/1928 | Himno nacional de Peru | Orquesta Peruana de Daniel A. Robles | Orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Alzedo, José Bernardo," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100204.
Alzedo, José Bernardo. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100204.
"Alzedo, José Bernardo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jose Bernardo Alcedo Retuerto
Grove: José Bernardo Alzedo
IMSLP: José Bernardo Alzedo
RISM: José Bernardo Alzedo
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Alzedo, José Bernardo, 1788-1878 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00114256
Wikidata: Jose Bernardo Alcedo Retuerto - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1709048
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/50083316
MusicBrainz: Jose Bernardo Alcedo Retuerto - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c6f7c4c2-2fab-43b0-abd5-d7cc8a7e4e08
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/443872 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/443872
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.
