Emilio Decio Herculano Bigi,(1 July 1910 – 28 May 1969) better known by his stage name Emilio Biggi was a South American composer. He was the son of Elisa Bigi and part of the
Italian Paraguayan diaspora.
Early life
As a small child, Bigi was part of the Batallón de Exploradores directed by Salesiano priest
Ernesto Pérez Acosta
Ernesto Perez Acosta was a Paraguayan Salesian priest. He was a chaplain in the Chaco War.
Biography Youth and studies
Ernesto Pérez Acosta, popularly known as "Pai Pérez" ather Pérezwas born in Itauguá, in Paraguay's Central Department o ...
.
Bigi attended at the Paraguayan Athaneum music school Bigi where he studied music theory and vocal performance, as well as
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
and, later,
bandoneon
The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...
. He performed in several ensembles, including the popular orchestra of
Gerardo Fernández Moreno and the Capital Police Band of Musicians. Bigi was part of the delegation of President
Higinio Morínigo
Higinio Nicolás Morínigo Martínez (11 January 1897 – 27 January 1983) was a Paraguayan military officer and politician who served as the 35th president of Paraguay from 1940 to 1948, ruling as a military dictator.
Born to a mestizo famil ...
, in an official visit to
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.
Career
Bigi relocated to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
and attended Academy Rubbione, where he continued to study music theory and vocal performance, as well as harmony,
counterpoint
In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
, and
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
. His final thesis was on entitled "Variations about a Guarani subject". Thereafter, he performed for a time with the "Trío Guaireño" led by Gumersindo Ayala Aquino and eventually formed his own group, which became part of the Guarani folk scene in Buenos Aires. In 1952, he went on tour with Ayala Aquino, Carlos Federico Reyes, and Paty de Ayala.
Bigi later moved to San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela, where he worked as a musician and teacher. He served as choir director at the Alberto Adriani Institute and as a professor at the Miguel Angel Espinel school of music, and performed in the state band and the state orchestra of Táchira.
Family
Bigi married Venezuelan Carmen Osorio. The couple had two daughters.
Death
Bigi died on 28 May 1969, in
San Cristóbal,
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
and was buried there.
Work
Bigi's most well-known classical works are:
* "Cuarteto de cuerdas" (Spring quartet)
* "Aire Nacional Op. 3" (National air Op. 3)
* "Renacer guarani" (Guaraní resurgence)
* "Poema sinfónico" (Symphonic poem)
* "Aires nacionales para piano" (National airs for piano)
* "Canciones" (Songs)
Bigi's most well-known popular works are:
* "Paraguay"
* "El suspiro" (Sigh)
* "Mimby pu"
* "Amanecer" (Sunrise)
* "Achuita"
* "Minero sapukai" (Miner song)
* "Pobre de mi" (Poor me)
* "La canción de mimby" (Mimby's song)
* "Mutilado en la guerra" (Mutilated in war). Lyrics by
Rigoberto Fontao Meza
Rigoberto Fontao Meza (December 29, 1900 – December 29, 1936) was a Paraguayan poet. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest poets of the Paraguayan native canon. He wrote highly descriptive poems in Spanish, Guarani and Jopara.
...
.
* "Acosta Ñu". Touching epic song, that enhance the heroism of the martyrs children that fought on 16 August 1869 the battle of the same name, in the last period of the Guerra de la Triple Alianza (
War Against the Triple Alliance).
* "Teresita"
* "Por tu cariño, madre" (Because of your love, mother)
References
Centro Cultural de la República El Cabildo* Biographic Dictionary "FORJADORES DEL PARAGUAY", First Edition. January, 2000. Distribuidora Quevedo. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigi, Emilio
20th-century Paraguayan male singers
1910 births
1969 deaths
Guarani-language singers
20th-century Argentine male singers
20th-century Venezuelan male singers