Vicente Estarelles

Vicente Estarelles Úbeda was born on 24 December 1908 in Alfarrasí, Valencia (Spain). He came from a musical family, and his grandfather, known as Maestro Úbeda, was a composer and conductor of the Banda de Bomberos de Valencia (Valencia Fire Brigade Band).
Estarelles studied at the Conservatory of Valencia under the composer Manuel Palau Boix (1893–1967). At the age of 19 he completed his studies and obtained his diploma as a music director. He subsequently began a professional career as a conductor, working with the zarzuela company Barandalla y Araiz. He was also musical director at the Teatro Alcázar in Valencia and directed a variety theatre company.
During the 1930s Estarelles was active as a composer of zarzuelas and other theatrical music. Among his compositions was the short stage work "Rocío la Mejorana", which was performed in Alcoy in March 1936 with the tenor Adolfo Sirvent. The work was also performed at the Teatro Principal in Alicante later that month.
In 1940 his two-act zarzuela "La moza del encinar", composed in collaboration with Ramón Puig Hernández and based on a libretto by Fernández Bayot, was published in Valencia. The work was performed repeatedly at the Teatro Victoria in Barcelona in January and February 1941. Another zarzuela, "El babuchero del zoco", with a libretto by Eugenio Rodríguez-Arias, was performed at the same theatre between 13 and 16 February 1941.
Following the Spanish Civil War, Estarelles continued his musical activities and also worked as a technician and organ builder. He was associated with the Valencia firm Úbeda-Soler, which specialised in the maintenance and repair of pianos and church organs.
In 1951 he reconstructed the organ of the parish church of Nuestra Señora del Espino in Soria. In 1952 he repaired the organ of the church of San Martín in Salamanca. In 1953 he was responsible for reconstructing an organ originally built in 1869 by José Otorel for León Cathedral. The instrument was installed in the newly constructed church of San Juan y San Pedro de Renueva in León, which was inaugurated on 29 June 1953.
Estarelles continued his work as an organ builder during the following years. In 1956 he reconstructed the organ of the parish church in Yanguas and repaired the organs of San Pedro in Almenar and the parish church of Deza. In 1957 he repaired the organ of Nuestra Señora de los Milagros in Ágreda.
After living and working in various Spanish towns, Estarelles settled in Calatayud (Aragon) around 1962, where he remained for the rest of his life. He became involved in the local musical life and composed numerous works for local associations, including hymns, marches and pasodobles.
Among these compositions was the anthem of the football club C. D. Calatayud, which was performed by the Coral Bilbilitana. He also composed the anthem of the Peña Euqor, with words by the poet Pedro Montón, and the pasodoble "Olé, olé, olé" for the Peña Taurina Bilbilitana, likewise based on a text by Montón. 
Vicente Estarelles died in December 1984 in Calatayud (Spain).