María Teresa Vera, (Havana 1895-1965)

Composer and singer. She was born in Guanajay, Havana Province, on February 6th, 1895, María Teresa Vera was a notable representer of the Cuban music. According to Helio Orovio , ''she is a vital voice in the Cuban Trova song`s history''.

She learned how to play guitar with Manuel Corona and Patricio Ballegas and made her bow in a public scene on March 18, 1911 at the Teatro Politeama Grande de la Habana along with Manuel Corona.

María Teresa teamed Rafael Zequeira and toured in diverse times to New York to record. In 1926, she joined Miguelito García. In 1937 she formed together with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo a very popular duet along twenty five years. She toured to Mexico with him in 1954 and performed in the Mexican night centers. In 1962 being ill, she decided to retire from scene.

Along more than 50 years, she developed a praiseworthy labor in the artistic world, highlighting her compositions and songs with her singular style, which earned her the recognition as the highest female expression of the traditional trova in our country.

She stated once: ''None teached me how to sing, because it came from the bottom of my heart''. the latest performances of María Teresa Vera took place in 1961, just in the same year, she recorded a collection of songs by penned by her, which was reedited in 1999 via EGREM label, under the title of Las Canciones de María Teresa Vera (Songs by María Teresa Vera) as an homage for her faithful devotion to Cuban song.

Among her works stands up the classical gem Veinte Años, keeping the same freshness and enchant when it was sung by diverse artists and national groups. This song was composed in 1935 following the Habanera style, genre appeared in XIX and executed in two levels, the popular and the lyric. For her and Miguel Matamoros, the Habanera was a love affair to sing it in duet of voices and guitar.

Experts and studious dare to adjudged the content of this song to a sad love experience suffered by Guillermina Aramburu, friend of María Teresa. Certainly, Veinte Años peaked her to fame.

She died in Havana, on December 17, 1965 to highlight forever as one of the major figures of the Cuban troubadoresque song.

See discography of this author at Online Music Shop.