Bola de Nieve (literally ''Snowball'') (11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter. His name originates from his round, black face. Villa Fernández was born in

Guanabacoa Guanabacoa is a colonial township in eastern Havana, Cuba, and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) of the city. It is famous for its historical Santería and is home to the first African Cabildo in Havana. Guanabacoa was briefly the capital ...

, and studied at the Mateu Conservatoire of Havana. He worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until his friend

Rita Montaner Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda (20 August 1900 – 17 April 1958), known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a '' vedette'' (a star), and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and ...

took him on as an accompanist in the early 1930s. After Montaner returned to Cuba, Villa Fernández remained in Mexico and developed an original performance style as a pianist and singer. He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a sophisticated cabaret stylist known for ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, with a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian. He toured widely in Europe and the Americas, and his friends included

Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students. Segovia's contribution to the m ...

and Pablo Neruda. He was black and gay, and was self-confident in his personality, and accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.Depestre Catony, Leonardo 1990. ''Cuatro músicos de una villa''. Letras Cubanas, La Habana. Biographies of four musicians from Guanabacoa:

Ernesto Lecuona Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1896 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become standards of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as ...

, Bola de Nieve and Juan Arrondo.''Moved by spirits: Cuba's musical legends still alive in today's music'' by Jordan Levin, McClatchy Newspapers, 19 April 2007
/ref> He died in Mexico City during a musical visit. He was the subject of a 2003 documentary which included interviews with fellow musicians, friends, relatives, and experts.Review of documentary film ''Bola de Nieve'' by Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, 24 October 2003

Selected filmography

*''

Melodies of America ''Melodies of America'' (Spanish:''Melodías de América'') is a 1941 Argentinian musical comedy film directed by Eduardo Morera and starring José Mojica, Silvana Roth and June Marlowe.Melgosa p.55 It was intended as an Argentine response to the ...

'' (1941)

References

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* * 1911 births 1971 deaths Cuban pianists 20th-century Cuban male singers Cuban songwriters Male songwriters People from Havana Spanish-language singers English-language singers French-language singers Catalan-language singers Italian-language singers Portuguese-language singers Gay musicians LGBT musicians from Cuba LGBT songwriters 20th-century pianists 20th-century composers Male pianists 20th-century LGBT people LGBT people in Latin music {{cuba-singer-stub