Pianist and composer. A child prodigy who is known to have played the piano at the age five. He had a superb technique as a pianist, giving piano recitals and popularizing Cuban and Afro-Cuban melodies in North and South America, France, and Spain. His most famous composition is the operetta María la O; others include El Cafetal, El Batey, Rosa la china and La Flor del sitio, all with lyrics by Gustavo Sánchez Galarraga. He also composed over 200 songs, of which “Malagueña,” “La Comparsa,” “Siboney” and “Siempre en mi corazón” were enthusiastically received in both Cuba and abroad and have retained their popularity for more than a century.
Hollywood used his “With a Song in My Heart” as the theme of the movie of the same title. He also composed boleros and zarzuelas. He died in Spain, where he was exiled after the Revolution of 1959.
