Ángel Leónidas Araújo Chiriboga (1900-1993) was an

Ecuadorian Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

composer, poet, tax collector and hotelier, best known for his contributions to the

pasillo Pasillo () is an Ecuadorean and Colombian genre of music popular in the territories that composed the 19th century Viceroyalty of New Granada: Born in the Andes during the independence wars, it spread to other areas; especially Ecuador (where it i ...

genre. He was born in

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

, one of the ten children of Colonel Don Ángel Felipe Araújo y Ordóñez of

Riobamba Riobamba (, full name San Pedro de Riobamba; Quechua: ''Rispampa'') is the capital of Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, and is located in the Chambo River Valley of the Andes. It is located south of Ecuador's capital Quito and situated at ...

, and his wife, Obdulia Elisa Chiriboga y Gonzáles. As an infant, he returned to Riobamba with his parents and siblings. He composed his first song at the age of thirteen. In 1918 (still a teenager), along with fellow writers Miguel Ángel León and Gerardo Falconí, he founded the magazine ''Acuarela'' (''Watercolor''). In 1919, ''El Telégrafo'' newspaper of

Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...

awarded him an Honorable Mention for his poem ''Muerta''. Additionally, his poems were published in the newspaper ''Los Andes de Riobamba'', and in the magazines ''Ensayos'', ''Savia'', and ''Semana Gráfica'' of Guayaquil. In the 1920s, he encouraged his friend, the composer and draftsman Rubén Uquillas Fernández, to come to Riobamba. Uquillas Fernández composed, among other works, the famous pasillo ''Tatuaje'', with lyrics by Chula Paris de Aguirre. In 1923, Araújo Chiriboga was appointed Tax Inspector by the Ministry of Finance, as a result of which he toured various provinces of Ecuador. He was also a prompter of the National Dramatic Company (1926-1927); editor-in-chief of the Estampa de Bogotá magazine; author of the collection of poems ''Huerto Olvidado'' (Riobamba, 1978). Several of his musical compositions were later performed and recorded at El Prado Station in Riobamba, by singer Carlota Jaramillo, his sister-in-law. The pasillo ''Rebeldia'' is among his best-known compositions. Other famous songs include ''Almas gemelas'', ''Amor grande y lejano'', ''Cuando me miras'', ''Nunca'', ''Ojeras (No vuelvas)'', ''Tu olvido'', ''Ojos negros'', ''Plegaria'', ''Solo'', ''Alejandose'', ''Alma solitaria'', etc. Several of his poems were set to music by prominent Ecuadorian composers. Working in hotel management, he lived for four decades in Colombia, and then returned to Ecuador in 1974. Two years later, he composed his last pasillo ''Te vi llorar'', recorded by Carlota Jaramillo with accompaniment by the

Homero Hidrobo Homero Hidrobo Ojeda (October 2, 1939- August 5, 1979) was an Ecuadorian classical guitarist and one of Ecuador's best known guitarists of the 20th century. He was also accomplished in other genres such as popular and folk music. Hidrobo performe ...

guitar troupe. He published his autobiography in 1988, and died in Quito in 1993.

References

{{reflist 1900 births 1993 deaths Ecuadorian poets