Noel Epinanio Estrada Suárez (June 4, 1918 – December 1, 1979) was a Puerto Rican composer. He was the author of "

En mi Viejo San Juan "En mi Viejo San Juan" (''In my Old San Juan'') is a composition by Puerto Rican composer and singer Noel Estrada. Interpreted by numerous singers and translated into various languages, the song is "widely known around the world". There are mus ...

", a song "widely known around the world".

Early years

Estrada was born in the town of

Isabela, Puerto Rico Isabela () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. It is named in honor of Isabella I of Castile. Isabela is s ...

where he received his primary education. During the Great Depression, many Puerto Ricans either emigrated to the mainland

United States 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 territori ...

(mainly to the northeastern coast area) or joined the armed forces, with the hope of improving their economic situation. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Estrada joined and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. Being away from his homeland for the first time in his life would in the future serve him as inspiration when composing the

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

"En mi viejo San Juan". In his youth, he joined

Fi Sigma Alfa Phi Sigma Alpha (), commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities, Puerto Rican fraternity originally established as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity (Sociedad de Amigos) on October 22, 1928, at the University of Puert ...

fraternity.

Musical compositions

Estrada became a government employee after being honorably discharged from the Army. He was a protocol official for the State Department. It was during the 1940s and 1950s that he wrote and interpreted his songs in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Among the many songs which he wrote were the following: "El Romance del Cafetal" (Romance of the coffee field); "Verde Navidad" (Green Christmas); "El Amor del Jíbaro" (The poor farmers Love); "Pobre Amor" (Poor Love); "Pedacito de Borinquen" (A piece of Puerto Rico); "Amor del Alma" (Love of the Soul); "Lo Nuestro Termino" (Our love is Finished); "Llévame a Ver a Jesús" (Take Me to see Jesus"); etcetera. However, it was "En mi Viejo San Juan" (In my Old San Juan) that would bring Estrada international acclaim.

"En Mi Viejo San Juan"

Estrada composed "En mi Viejo San Juan" in the 1940s, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It is Estrada's most popular composition, and is considered a second national anthem by many Puerto Ricans, especially those who live abroad. The City of San Juan honored Estrada as an adopted citizen and would later adopt the song as its official city anthem.

Later years

Estrada's composition "Mi romantico San Juan" (My romantic San Juan) won a first prize in the "Festival of the Puerto Rican Composer". In 1966, the City of San Juan honored Estrada by declaring him its adopted son. Noel Estrada died in the City of San Juan in 1979. He was buried at

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...

. San Juan and the town of Isabela have honored Estrada's memory by naming streets and a school after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrada, Noel 1918 births 1979 deaths Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery Puerto Rican composers Puerto Rican male composers Puerto Rican Army personnel People from Isabela, Puerto Rico United States Army soldiers 20th-century composers 20th-century American male musicians United States Army personnel of World War II

Early years

Musical compositions

"En Mi Viejo San Juan"

Later years

See also

References