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María Grever: Career And Death About Details Know?
María Grever: September 14, 1885 – December 15, 1951 was the first woman to attain international renown as a composer in Mexico.
She is best known for the song “What A Difference A Day Makes” (originally “Cuando vuelva a tu lado”), which was popularised by Dinah Washington and performed by a variety of musicians.
Early years of María Grever
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Mara Joaquina de la Portilla Torres was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, to a Spanish father (Francisco de la Portilla) and a Mexican mother (Julia Torres).
She spent her first six years of life in Mexico City before migrating to Sevilla, her father’s hometown, in 1891. In France, she studied music with Claude Debussy and Franz Lenhard, among others.
She returned to Mexico in 1900, where she continued her musical training at her aunt’s solfège school. De la Portilla married Leo A. Grever, an American oil company executive when she was 22 years old in 1907.
She became a US citizen in 1916 and went to New York City, where she remained for the rest of her life.
Career of María Grever
Grever composed over 1000 songs, most boleros, and her fame spread throughout Latin America, Europe, and the United States. She was claimed to have excellent pitch and to have written the majority of her songs in one key.
When she was four years old, she composed her first piece of music, a Christmas carol. She penned her debut song, “A Una Ola” (To a Wave) when she was 18 years old, and it went on to sell three million copies.
She started working for Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox studios as a film composer in 1920. Her primary musical colleagues when she joined ASCAP in 1935 were Stanley Adams and Irving Caesar.
“I had to leave my country,” Grever once stated, “and now that I’m in New York, I’m interested in Jazz and Modern Rhythms, but most of all, in Mexican Music, which I desire to give to the American people.” They don’t know much about it, I’m afraid.
Mexican music (its Hispanic and indigenous origins and how they mix) is worth spreading since it has such cultural diversity in melody and rhythm.
My objective and desire are to portray the local rhythms and tunes (of Mexico) in their original context, but with the required flexibility to appeal to a broad audience.”
“Jerome” (Promise, Me), a habanera-bolero rendered masterfully by tenor José Mojica, was Grever’s first international smash.
Other songs followed, including “Volveré” (I Will Return), “Te Quiero dijiste” (I Love You, You Said), “Cuando vuelva a tu lado” (When I Return To Your Side as recorded by Nestor Mesta Chayres), and “Por si no te vuelvo a ver” (In Case I Don’t See You Again).
Tipitipitin (sung by the Andrews Sisters as “Ti-Pi-Tin”), “Para Que Recordar”, “Ya No Me Quieres”, “Tu, Tu y Tu” (as recorded by Mexican vocalist Juan Arvizu in 1928), “Que Dirias de Mi”, “Eso Es Mentra”, “Mi Secreto”, “Dame Tu Amor”, “Una Rosa, Un Beso “..
The Death of María Grever
Grever died in New York in 1951 after a long illness. Her remains were brought to Mexico City at her desire.
Success and posthumous tributes
Her songs have been covered by a wide range of artists around the world, including:
- Libertad Lamarque, an Argentine singer-actress and Latin American celebrity, played Grever in Tito Davison’s 1953 biography Cuando me vaya (When I Leave).
- Three years later, Lamarque produced Libertad Lamarque canta canciones de Maria Grever, a best-selling tribute to Grever’s most popular songs.
- In 1959, Dinah Washington recorded “Cuando vuelva a tu lado” with English lyrics under the title “What A Difference A Day Makes.” In 1959, the recording was nominated for a Grammy Award, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
- Alfredo Kraus, an operatic tenor, recorded “Jrame” in 1964 for his album “Siboney.”
- Ailyn Perez, an operatic soprano, played “Jrame” live for WFMT in Chicago in 2018.
- Google honoured her with a Google Doodle on February 11, 2021.
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