Narciso Garay Díaz (June 12, 1876 – March 27, 1953) was a Panamanian violinist, composer, and political figure. Born in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

, Garay was the son of painter ; his sister was the poet

Nicole Garay Nicolasa "Nicol" Garay (September 10, 1873, in Colombia – June 19, 1928, in Panama) was a Panamanian poet. She was the daughter of Colombian painter Epifanio Garay Caicedo and sister of Panamanian musician and political figure Narciso Garay ...

. He studied at the

Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...

, where he took a first prize, and at the

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founded i ...

, and from 1902 until 1903 was a pupil of

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

. Returning to Panama, he became director of the new Escuela Nacional de Música, occupying the position from 1904 until 1918. Active as an ethnomusicologist, he published ''Tradiciones y cantares de Panama'' in 1930; his compositions include a sonata for violin. Active as well in the diplomatic service, at one time he served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. He died in the city of his birth.

References

1876 births 1953 deaths Panamanian violinists Panamanian composers Panamanian male musicians Male violinists Male composers Foreign Ministers of Panama 20th-century violinists 20th-century composers Royal Conservatory of Brussels alumni Schola Cantorum de Paris alumni Pupils of Gabriel Fauré 19th-century male musicians People from Panama City Ambassadors of Panama to Colombia Ambassadors of Panama to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Panama to the United States {{ethnomusicologist-stub