Tomás Bretón was a Spanish composer and conductor born in Salamanca in 1850 who trained at the Madrid Conservatory and established his career in the late nineteenth century largely composing for the theatre and the concert hall, particularly in opera and zarzuela genres. His music blended Romantic orchestral techniques with elements of Spanish folk and dance, and he played a role in shaping the modern zarzuela repertoire and promoting a national musical identity in Spain.
