Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Ropero (November 16, 1843 – July 1, 1883), was

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

's classical and

danza Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence danc ...

composer. He has been called "The Chopin of

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early years

Tavárez was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

, the son of a French father and a Puerto Rican mother. San Juan was the city where he first began his musical studies. His first musical mentors were José Cabrizas and Domingo Delgado. Tavárez was a student of Gonzalo de J. Núñez (1850 – 1915), whose students also included the internationally known musicians and composers

Juan Morel Campos Juan Morel Campos (16 May 1857 – 12 May 1896), sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juan Morell Campos'', was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level. He composed over ...

and

Arístides Chavier Arévalo Arístides Chavier Arévalo (3 September 1867 –1942) was a Puerto Rican pianist, modernism composer, musicologist and music author from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early years and schooling Chavier Arévalo was born in Ponce on 3 September 1867. In ...

. Tavárez became an accomplished pianist at an early age. He was able to enroll and study music in the Music Conservatory of Paris at the age of 15 with a scholarship granted by "The Economic Society of Friends of Puerto Rico" (La Sociedad Económica Amigos del Pais). Tavárez studied under the guidance of Auber and D'Albert. While in France, Tavárez suffered a stroke which left his hand partially paralyzed. Tavárez returned to Puerto Rico because of his health problems. He settled down in Ponce where he gave piano lessons. He was able to overcome his health problems and began to put on musical concerts of his compositions.Music of Puerto Rico
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"Father of the Puerto Rican Danza"

Tavárez is considered to be Puerto Rico's first Romantic era composer. He also composed music in other genres as well. Among his best known works was the funeral march ''Redención'' (Redemption), dedicated to the memory of

José Campeche José Campeche y Jordán (December 23, 1751 – November 7, 1809), is the first known Puerto Rican visual artist and considered by art critics as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas. Campeche y Jordán loved to use colors that referenc ...

; the

rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

''Souvenir de Puerto Rico'', and his

danzas DHL Global Forwarding, formerly known as DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, is a division of Deutsche Post DHL providing air and ocean freight forwarding services. It also plans and undertakes major logistics projects under the brand name DHL Industrial P ...

''Recuerdos de Antaño'' (Remembrance of Yesteryear) and what is considered his greatest work, the danza ''Margarita''. The music created by Tavárez would always be recognized as an integral part of Puerto Rican culture. Tavárez is known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Danza". Among his most distinguished disciples was the composer

. His daughter Elisa Tavárez would also become an accomplished pianist.

Death

Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Ropero died on July 1, 1883 in the city of

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. He was 39 years old.

Selection of Danzas by Tavárez

The following is a list of some of Tavárez's Danzas: *La Sensitiva (The sensitive one) *La Margarita *Recuerdos de Antaño'' (Remembrance of Yesteryear) *Redención (Redemption) *Souvener de Puerto Rico *Un Recuerdito (A small remembrance)

Honors and recognitions

Tavárez has been honored by the Government of

with the naming of public buildings and institutions after him. In San Juan, there is a theater named after him. His music can still be appreciated in concerts today. In Ponce, he is recognized at the Ponce Park of the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.''Music.''
Travel Ponce.com. Retrieved October 3, 2013.

References