Gaspar Villate (27 January 1851 – 9 October 1891) was a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

who produced abundant and wide-ranging work, mostly centered on

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

. Villate was born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. After writing the score of ''Angelo, tirano de Padua'', he and his family immigrated to the US in 1868 when war broke out in Cuba, returning in 1871. He then composed a second opera, ''Las primeras armas de Richelieu''. Sent to Paris to complete his studies, he wrote various contradanzas when he returned. He spent much of his life in Europe, but also wrote creole works ''La virgen tropical'' and ''Adios a Cuba''. His eight waltzes, his ''Soirées cubaines'', and his romances were appreciated in Parisian salons. He wrote scores for ''La Czarina'', premiered in the Royal Theatre of Le Havre, and ''Baltazar'', at the Royal Theatre of Madrid. He died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Villate was a close friend of Italian composer

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, and no doubt was influenced by him: Villate's work became European in taste. Despite this, his creole contradanzas are held in higher esteem today.Carpentier, Alejo 2001

945 Year 945 ( CMXLV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 27 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown barely ...

''Music in Cuba''. Minneapolis MN. p239

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villate, Gaspar 1851 births 1891 deaths 19th-century classical composers Cuban classical composers Cuban opera composers Male classical composers Male opera composers People from Havana 19th-century male musicians