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Bola de Nieve

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For the historical building in Rosario, Argentina, see La Bola de Nieve.
Bola de Nieve
Birth nameIgnacio Jacinto Villa Fernández[1]
Born(1911-09-11)11 September 1911
Guanabacoa, La Habana, Cuba
Died2 October 1971(1971-10-02) (aged 60)
Ciudad de México, Mexico
GenresCanción, bolero, habanera, son cubano
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, composer
InstrumentPiano
LabelsOrfeón, Discmedi, Montilla, Sonotone, Kubaney, Modiner, Areito

Bola de Nieve (literally Snowball) (11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter, whose round, black face earned him the nickname by which he was always known.[2]

Villa Fernández was born in Guanabacoa, and studied at the Mateu Conservatoire of Havana. He worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until his friend Rita Montaner took him on as an accompanist in the early 1930s. After Montaner returned to Cuba, Villa Fernández remained in Mexico and developed an original performance style as a pianist and singer. He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a sophisticated cabaret stylist known for ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, with a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan, Portuguese and Italian. He toured widely in Europe and the Americas, and his friends included Andrés Segovia and Pablo Neruda. He was black and gay, self-confident in his personality, and was accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.[3][4]

Bola de Nieve was a fervent supporter of the Castro regime. He died in Mexico City during a musical visit.

He was the subject of a 2003 documentary which included interviews with fellow musicians, friends, relatives, and experts.[5]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ Bola de Nieve, EcuRed.
  2. ^ Giro, Radamés 2007. Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba. La Habana. vol 1, p139
  3. ^ Depestre Catony, Leonardo 1990. Cuatro músicos de una villa. Letras Cubanas, La Habana. Biographies of four musicians from Guanabacoa: Ernesto Lecuona, Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve and Juan Arrondo.
  4. ^ Moved by spirits: Cuba's musical legends still alive in today's music by Jordan Levin, McClatchy Newspapers, April 19 2007
  5. ^ Review of documentary film Bola de Nieve by Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, October 24, 2003 Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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