Herminio Giménez (February 20, 1905 – July 6, 1991) was a

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

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 ...

Life

At the early age of 11 he was already part of the

Paraguarí Paraguarí (; gn, Paraguari) is a city, ''distrito'' and capital of Paraguarí Department in Paraguay, located 66 km from the country's capital, Asunción. At the 2002 census it had a population of 22,154.Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

marching band. While at the marching band he made his first successful song, a polca named ''Jasy Morotí'', in 1918. He was the first person to record Paraguayan music in an album, in 1927. The continued beauty of his works throughout the years positioned Giménez as one of the greatest Latin American composers. During the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõdictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...

Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989. Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with t ...

's government, Giménez went into

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He spent most of his time in the city of

Corrientes Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...

. After Stroessner was ousted, he returned to Paraguay and died in 1991.

Works

Giménez compositions ranged from

Paraguayan polka Paraguayan polka, also known as danza paraguaya (Paraguayan dance), is a style of music created in Paraguay in the 19th century. The Paraguayan polka is very different from the traditional polka, mainly because the Paraguayan version combines ...

s and Guaranias to

waltzes The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...

and marching songs. His most famous works include: ''Añorando a Matto Grosso'', ''Al Papa Wojtyla'', ''Ruperto Bravo'', ''Feliz Cuarto Centenario, Corrientes'', ''Sapukái en las Malvinas'', ''Corasô rasy'', ''Corasô rasy'', ''Panchita Garmendia'', ''Ha che tren'', ''Che valle Pirajumi'' and ''Campesina Paraguaya''.Herminio Giménez, en su centenario
, Girala Yampey.

References

Paraguayan composers Male composers Paraguayan classical musicians 1905 births 1991 deaths Paraguayan expatriates in Argentina 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century composers 20th-century male musicians {{Paraguay-composer-stub