Patricio Ballagas [SEP] date of death
Patricio Ballagas
Patricio Ballagas Palacio (Camagüey, 17 March 1879 – Havana, 15 February 1920) was a Cuban composer and guitarist, considered an important innovator in trova music. His compositions were written in time when most others were composing in time; and more important, he invented 'double text', where the melody is superimposed over the lead vocal, which then becomes the second voice. He introduced contracanto into the trova form, so that the second voice changes from being intimately connected to the first voice to becoming
trovadores".
The lead vocalist and director of the group was Ramón "Nano" León, who was accompanied by his brother Bienvenido León as second voice and Tirso Díaz on guitar. The group often performed as a quartet, the Cuarteto Nano, with the addition of falsetto singer Domingo Capellejas. Also featured in a subsequent line-up was famed composer Patricio Ballagas, who replaced Tirso Díaz on guitar until his death in 1920. Ballagas composed 6 of the group's recordings for Victor. For Bienvenido, the Cuarteto marked