Manuel Penella
Introduction


**Manuel Penella Moreno** (31 July 1880 in [Valencia](/wiki/Valencia "Valencia") – 14 January 1939 in [Cuernavaca](/wiki/Cuernavaca "Cuernavaca")) was a Spanish composer. His father was the composer [Manuel Penella Raga](/wiki/Manuel_Penella_Raga "Manuel Penella Raga"). His daughter Magdalena Penella Silva married the politician [Ramón Ruiz Alonso](/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Ruiz_Alonso "Ramón Ruiz Alonso"); through her, he was the grandfather of actresses [Emma Penella](/wiki/Emma_Penella "Emma Penella"), [Elisa Montés](/wiki/Elisa_Mont%C3%A9s "Elisa Montés") and [Terele Pávez](/wiki/Terele_P%C3%A1vez "Terele Pávez").

Although his most popular work at home and abroad is the oft\-revived [opera española](/wiki/%C3%93pera_espa%C3%B1ola "Ópera española") *[El gato montés](/wiki/El_gato_mont%C3%A9s "El gato montés")* (a special favourite of [Plácido Domingo](/wiki/Pl%C3%A1cido_Domingo "Plácido Domingo"), who has revived it several times and recorded it for [Deutsche Grammophon](/wiki/Deutsche_Grammophon "Deutsche Grammophon")), several of his other works still enjoy popularity in Spain and the Spanish\-speaking world, notably the [chamber opera](/wiki/Chamber_opera "Chamber opera") *[Don Gil de Alcalá](/wiki/Don_Gil_de_Alcal%C3%A1 "Don Gil de Alcalá")* (scored in Mexican style for strings and harp), some of his revues and the ambitious, late [zarzuela](/wiki/Zarzuela "Zarzuela") *La malquerida* (1935\), based on the masterpiece by [Jacinto Benavente](/wiki/Jacinto_Benavente "Jacinto Benavente").


Where was Manuel Penella Moreno born?