José Padilla Sánchez (28 May 1889 in

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

– 25 October 1960 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

), popularly known as Maestro Padilla was a famous Spanish composer and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

. He was best known for the songs '' La Violetera'' and ''El Relicario'', popularized by

cuplé The cuplé was a popular risqué Spanish theatre song style in the late years of the 19th century. From 1893–1911 the songs were a feature of the "género ínfimo" (lowest type) cabaret theatre sung by solo female singers, or men in drag, and at ...

singer

Raquel Meller Francisca Romana Marqués López (9 March 1888 – 26 July 1962), better known as Raquel Meller, was a Spanish diseuse, cuplé, and tonadilla singer and actress. She was an international star in the 1920s and 1930s, appearing in several films a ...

, and the

pasodoble Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...

''Valencia'' He became famous in France as he composed songs for the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Oly ...

, like ''Ça c'est Paris''. '' La Violetera'' was adapted by Charlie Chaplin for the soundtrack of ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl ( Virginia Cherrill) an ...

'' (1931).

Biography

José Padilla Sánchez was born in

in 1889. He took his first music lessons from Almería´s

Municipal Band A community band is a concert band or brass band ensemble composed of volunteer (non-paid) amateur musicians in a particular geographic area. It may be sponsored by the local (municipal) government or self-supporting. These groups rehearse regular ...

director and at fourteen he produced his first written music sheet titled L''as dos palomas''. By the time he lived in

, he attended the Real Conservatorio de Música y Declamación. Also, he became acquainted with remarcable

Zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

composers such as Tomás Bretón,

Gerónimo Giménez Gerónimo Giménez y Bellido (10 October 1854 – 19 February 1923) was a Spanish conductor and composer, who dedicated his career to writing zarzuelas, such as ''La tempranica'' and ''La boda de Luis Alonso''. He preferred to spell his first na ...

Amadeo Vives Amadeu Vives i Roig (; 18 November 1871 – 2 December 1932) was a Spanish musical composer, creator of over a hundred stage works. He is best known for '' Doña Francisquita'', which Christopher Webber has praised for its "easy lyricism, flue ...

. At 23 he moves

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

and from there to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

and works as director for the Úrsula López Band. Later on he moved back to

and composed his popular ''El Relicario'' and '' La violetera.'' Next he moves to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

and his works are performed in the Folies Bergere and

music halls where his ''Ça c´est Paris'' sung by

Mistinguett Mistinguett (, born Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois; 5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956) was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bourgeois, a 31-year- ...

becomes very popular. In 1928 he signed a 25 million

franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...

contract to travel to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

. There he produced works with

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inte ...

. In 1949, al 60 returns to

to a house that, after his death in 1960 held his museum. Auditorio Maestro Padilla

]

Selected filmography

* '' Valencia (1927 film), Valencia'' (1927) * '' Imperial Violets'' (1932) * '' The Angel with the Trumpet'' (1948) * ''

In the Arms of the Sea ''In the Arms of the Sea'' (Swedish: ''Bärande hav'') is a 1951 Swedish drama film directed by Arne Mattsson and starring Alf Kjellin, Ulf Palme, Edvin Adolphson and Eva Dahlbeck.Qvist & Von Bagh p.112 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Stu ...

'' (1951) * '' The Lovers of Midnight'' (1953)

Legacy

There is a commemorative plaque in his Paris residence. Also, in 1992 the Maestro Padilla Auditorium was built in home town

. There is a garden named Jardín Maestro Padilla in the

Arganzuela Arganzuela is one of the 21 districts of the city of Madrid, Spain. Geography Position Arganzuela is located in central-southern Madrid, separated from Latina, Carabanchel and Usera by the river Manzanares. The other bordering districts are C ...

district of Madrid.

External links

Jose Padilla.org

References

1889 births 1960 deaths 20th-century pianists 20th-century Spanish composers 20th-century Spanish male musicians People from Almería Spanish composers Spanish male composers Spanish pianists {{composer-stub