María Grever (14 September 1885 – 15 December 1951) was the first female Mexican

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 def ...

to achieve international acclaim.Rodríguez, Lee M. L. María Grever: Poeta Y Compositora. Potomac, Md: Scripta Humanistica, 1994. Print. She is best known for the song " What A Difference A Day Makes" (originally "Cuando vuelva a tu lado"), which was popularized by

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

and has been covered by numerous artists.

Early life

María Joaquina de la Portilla Torres was born to a Spanish father (Francisco de la Portilla) and Mexican mother (Julia Torres) in León,

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

. For the first six years of her life she lived in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, moving to her father's natal city,

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, in 1891. She studied music in France, with

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

and Franz Lenhard among her teachers. In 1900, she moved back to Mexico and continued her musical studies at her aunt's

solfège In music, solfège (British English or American English , ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a mnemonic used in teaching aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, W ...

school. In 1907, the then 22-year-old de la Portilla married Leo A. Grever, an American oil company executive, and in 1916 became a U.S. citizen and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where she lived for the rest of her life.

Career

Grever wrote more than 1000 songs — the majority of them

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 h ...

s — and her popularity reached audiences in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. She was said to have possessed perfect pitch and wrote most of her songs in one key. Her first piece of music, a

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

, was composed when she was four years old. She wrote her first song when she was 18 years old, "A Una Ola" (To a Wave), and it sold three million copies. Maria grever

In 1920, she began work as a film composer for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

studios. Joining ASCAP in 1935, her chief musical collaborators included Stanley Adams and Irving Caesar. Grever once said: "I had to leave my country, and now in New York, I am interested in Jazz and Modern Rhythms, but above all, in Mexican Music, which I long to present to the American people. I am afraid they don't know much about it. It is music worth spreading; there is such a cultural richness in Mexican Music (its Hispanic and indigenous origins and how they mix) where melody and rhythm merge. It is my wish and yearning to present the native rhythms and tunes (of Mexico) from a real perspective, but with the necessary flexibility to appeal to the universal audience." Grever's first international hit was " Júrame" (Promise Me), a habanera-

interpreted in a masterly manner by tenor José Mojica. Other hits continued to follow, such as "Volveré" (I Will Return); "Te quiero dijiste" (I love you, you said), written for the 1944

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

film ''

Bathing Beauty ''Bathing Beauty'' is a 1944 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney, and starring Red Skelton and Esther Williams. Although this was not Williams' screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The f ...

'', as well as "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" (When I Return To Your Side as recorded by

Nestor Mesta Chayres Néstor Mesta Cháyres (aka Nestor Chaires, Ciudad Lerdo, February 26, 1908 - Mexico City, June 29, 1971) was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international conce ...

) and "Por si no te vuelvo a ver" (In case I don't see you again). Other songs of hers include "Tipitipitin" (recorded as "Ti-Pi-Tin" by the

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezz ...

), "Para Qué Recordar", "Ya No Me Quieres", "Tú, Tú y Tú" (as recorded by Mexican tenor Juan Arvizu in 1928), "Que Dirías de Mí", "Eso Es Mentíra", "Mi Secreto", "Dame Tu Amor", "Una Rosa, Un Beso", "Despedida", "Así", "Chamaca Mía",'' "Todo Mi Ser",'' and "Alma Mía".

Death

Grever died in 1951 in New York after a prolonged illness. At her request, her remains were transported to Mexico City.

Posthumous tributes and success

Her songs have been covered internationally by a variety of artists: * In 1953, Argentine singer-actress and Latin American star Libertad Lamarque portrayed Grever in ''Cuando me vaya'' (When I Leave), a biopic directed by

Tito Davison Tito Davison (14 November 1912 – 21 March 1985) was a Chilean-born Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 60 films between 1937 and 1982. Selected filmography * ''Thus Is Life'' (1930) * ''Shadows of Glory'' (1930) ...

. Three years later, Lamarque released a best-selling tribute to Grever's most popular songs titled ''Libertad Lamarque canta canciones de Maria Grever''. * In 1959,

recorded "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" under the title " What A Difference A Day Makes" with English lyrics. The recording won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1959, and in 1998 it was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

. * In 1964, operatic tenor

Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was ...

recorded "Júrame" on his album "Siboney." * In 2018, operatic soprano, Ailyn Perez performed "Júrame" live for

WFMT WFMT (98.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, with a classical music radio format. It is part of Window to the World Communications, Inc, in the same company as Chicago's PBS member station WTTW. WFMT seeks donations ...

in Chicago. * On 11 February 2021,

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

celebrated her with a Google Doodle.

References

External links

SlideShare.net – María Grever Biografía
(Spanish)
The Art Music of Mexico and Guatemala – Maria Grever (1894–1951) Biography and Images

María Grever recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

.
1921 passport photo of Maria Grever and her children

Recordings of performances of boleros composed by María Grever as archived on Archive.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grever, Maria 1885 births 1951 deaths 20th-century Mexican musicians 20th-century Mexican women composers Latin music songwriters Mexican emigrants to the United States Mexican film score composers Mexican people of Spanish descent Mexican women songwriters Musicians from Guanajuato Musicians from Mexico City Composers from New York City Naturalized citizens of the United States People from León, Guanajuato Writers from Guanajuato Writers from Mexico City Women in Latin music