Osvaldo Farrés (; January 13, 1903 – December 22, 1985) was a Cuban songwriter and composer best known for having written the popular songs "", "", "", and "".

Early life

Farrés was born in 1903 in the small city of Quemado de Güines, Las Villas,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Career

Although unable to read or write music, he became a prolific and world-renowned composer. His songs include "

Quizás, Quizás, Quizás "", sometimes known simply as "" (; "Perhaps"), is a popular song by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés. Farrés wrote the music and original Spanish lyrics for the song which became a hit for Bobby Capó in 1947. English version The English lyr ...

", "Acércate Más", "Tres Palabras", "Toda Una Vida" and his own favorite "Madrecita" written in honor of his mother and sung to this day in Latin America on Mother's Day. His songs have been performed and recorded by stars such as

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Lawrenc ...

Pedro Vargas Pedro Vargas Mata (29 April 1906 – 30 October 1989) was a Mexican tenor and actor, from the golden age of Mexican cinema, participating in more than 70 films. He was known as the "Nightingale of the Americas", "Song Samurai" or "Continental ...

Raquel Bitton Raquel Bitton (born in Marrakesh, Morocco) is a French and Spanish language singer, actress and playwright. Biography In 1970, as a teenager, Bitton moved to San Francisco with her parents and brothers. She began to learn the songs from the Fren ...

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (; born 19 April 1970) is a Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as Honorific nicknames in popular music, ''El Sol de Mexico'' ...

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández Medal of Merit in Labour, MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer. She began her career in the 1940s and became the most int ...

Olga Guillot Olga Guillot (October 9, 1923 – July 12, 2010) was a Cuban singer who was known as the "Queen of Bolero". She was a native of Santiago de Cuba. Biography Daughter of Catalan-Jewish immigrants who moved to Cuba, her father was a tailor and her ...

John Serry Sr. John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voice ...

, Cake''The Billboard''. "Advanced Record Releases - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra", New York, Vol. 58 No. 14, 6 April 1946, P. 34 & P. 13
''Latin American Music'' - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra in Billboard on books.google.com
/ref> and many others.

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...

included ''Tres Palabras'' on his

Grammy 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 a ...

-winning 2001 album

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

Personal life

In 1962, Farrés and his wife, Fina del Peso Farrés, left Cuba. They never returned. He died in

West New York, New Jersey West New York is a Town (New Jersey), town in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, in 1985.

References

External links

''Osvaldo Farrés'' on imdb.com

''Osvaldo Farrés'' on worldcat.org

''Osvaldo Farrés'' - sound recordings of his boleros on archive.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farres, Osvaldo 1903 births 1985 deaths People from Quemado de Güines Cuban composers Cuban male composers Cuban songwriters Cuban male songwriters 20th-century Cuban male musicians Cuban male musicians