Bola de Nieve (literally ''Snowball''; 11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter. His name originates from his round, black face.
Villa Fernández was born in
Guanabacoa
Guanabacoa is a colonial township in eastern Havana, Cuba, and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) of the city. It is famous for its historical Santería and is home to the first Afro-Cubans, African Cabildo (Cuba), Cabildo in Havana. Guanab ...
, eastern
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Conservatorio de José Mateu. He worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until his friend
Rita Montaner
Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda (20 August 1900 – 17 April 1958), known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a '' vedette'' (a star), and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and ...
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
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987), was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were either students of Segovia or students of Segovia's students.
Segovia ...
and
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...
. He was black and gay, and was self-confident in his personality, and accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.Depestre Catony, Leonardo 1990. ''Cuatro músicos de una villa''. Letras Cubanas, La Habana. Biographies of four musicians from Guanabacoa:
Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1895 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become standards of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as ...
,
Rita Montaner
Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda (20 August 1900 – 17 April 1958), known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a '' vedette'' (a star), and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and ...
, Bola de Nieve and Juan Arrondo.''Moved by spirits: Cuba's musical legends still alive in today's music'' by Jordan Levin, McClatchy Newspapers, 19 April 2007 /ref>
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.Review of documentary film ''Bola de Nieve'' by Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, 24 October 2003
Style
Fernández is one of the most influential figures of
Afro-Cuban jazz
Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of Latin jazz. It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban music has deep roots in African ritual and rhythm. The genre emerged in the early 1940s ...
. He often synthesized elements of European and North American musical traditions with
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
elements, which gave his music a sound distinct from his contemporaries.
His music is often deeply emotional, going as far as to openly sob his lyrics.
Selected filmography
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Melodies of America
''Melodies of America'' (Spanish:''Melodías de América'') is a 1941 Argentine musical comedy film of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema, directed by Eduardo Morera and starring José Mojica, Silvana Roth and June Marlowe.Melgosa p.55 It was ...