Rigoberto Fontao Meza (December 29, 1900 – December 29, 1936) was a

Paraguayan Paraguayans () are the citizens of Paraguay. Though the majority of Paraguayans reside in Paraguay, significant communities have been established in multiple countries, most noticeably Argentina, Spain, United States, Brazil. History The first ...

poet. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest poets of the Paraguayan

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

canon. He wrote highly descriptive poems in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, Guarani and

Jopara Jopara () or Yopará () is a colloquial form of Guarani spoken in Paraguay which uses a number of Spanish loan words. Its name is from the Guarani word for “mixture”. The majority of Paraguayans, particularly younger ones, speak some form o ...

. He died in

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, on his birthday, December 29, 1936, at the age of 36.

Biography

The son of Benjamín Fontao and Marciana Meza, he was born in Tape Ka'aty, located in the San Pedro Department, Paraguay, on December 29, 1900. He was friends with many of the composers of his time, including

José Asunción Flores José Asunción Flores (27 August 1904 – 16 May 1972) was a Paraguayan composer and creator of the Guarania music genre. Early life Flores was born in the poor neighborhood of La Chacarita, in Asunción. As a kid, he had to work as a pape ...

. Flores composed the lyrics of the songs "Arribeño Resay", "Ka'aty" and the first version of "India" for him. He wrote the lyrics of "El Arriero", with

Félix Pérez Cardozo Félix Pérez Cardozo (20 November 1908 – 9 June 1952) was a Paraguayan harpist and composer. Pérez Cardozo died on June 9, 1952, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Beginnings Pérez Cardozo was born to Teodoro Pérez and Cándida Rosa Cardo ...

composing a song for it later. The piece has since been interpreted by numerous people. When Manuel Ortiz Guerrero heard Flores' interpretation for the ''guarania'' (a traditional Guarani folk song) "India" for the first time, he showed admiration for the piece, but questioned the lyrics, saying that they did not have the same transcendence as the song, and offered to compose better lyrics. Flores and Rigoberto Fontao Meza agreed that Meza wouldn't allow the change, but Flores replaced the lyrics with ones from Guerrero, and it became the version of India known nowadays. "India" was declared in 1944 as "Official Paraguayan Music" along with "Campamento Cerro León" and "Cerro Corá" by law of the Executive State.

List of Works

Meza wrote numerous poems throughout his lifetime. Some of his contributions to the Paraguayan folkloric canon include: * Mba'épa Nerohasê. * Mutilados de guerra. * El Arriero. * Arribeño Resay. * Ka'a Poty. * Che resay. * Nde Clavelkuemi. * Poniente Ruguaicha. * Congoja. * Nda vy'airamoguare. * Guerra tiempope guare'e. He also produced theatrical plays and published a poem book.

References

* ''Sonidos de mi Tierra''. 1900 births 20th-century Paraguayan poets Paraguayan male poets 1936 deaths Guarani-language writers 20th-century Paraguayan male writers {{Paraguay-poet-stub