Maria Grever: Who is the woman honored by Google Doodle today?

Today, February 11, 2021, the Google homepage interface in some parts of the world, including Vietnam, a number of American countries (such as the US, Peru, Argentina), Italy and Sweden appear images. Doodle about Mexican-American singer and songwriter María Grever. So who is María Grever that Google honors today?

The interface of the Google homepage in Vietnam and some other countries has the image of María Grever. (Source: Google Doodle).

Mexican-American singer and songwriter María Grever (September 14, 1885 – December 15, 1951), is considered one of Mexico's greatest composers . 

She spent her life writing hundreds of famous songs covered by the world's most famous artists/singers, including the Spanish Opera singer Placido Domingo (1941), the Spanish female singer. American Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) and famous American singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) - one of the most famous and influential musical artists of the 20th century.

On this day in 1938, February 11, 1938, María Grever recorded "Ti-Pi-Tin" , a waltz about love for humanity, and the piece became one of the biggest hits. her best.

Genius

María Grever's real name is María Joaquina de la Portilla Torres , she was born in the late 19th century in the city of León in Central Mexico. As a child, she moved to Seville (her father's hometown, in the southwest of the Iberian peninsula), where she studied English, French and music. 

María Grever's natural musical abilities were evident when she composed a holiday carol for her school. 

Realizing her daughter's early talent, her father took her to France to study music and invited the best music tutors, including famous composers, Claude Debussy and Franz Lehár, to teach her. girl. 

Her first song, a Christmas carol, was composed when she was 4 years old. María Grever wrote her first song at the age of 18, "A Una Ola" (To a Wave, 1912), and it sold 3 million copies, covered by several singers.

During her lifetime, María Grever wrote more than 800 songs/music. (Photo: Internet).

In 1900, María Grever returned to Mexico and continued to study music at her aunt's piano school. In 1907, when she was 22 years old, she married Leo A. Grever, an American oil company executive, and in 1916 became an American citizen and moved to New York City, where she lived and worked. work for the rest of your life.

In New York, she continued to compose soundtracks for films by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. 

During that time, María Grever continued to write songs that combined folk rhythms with styles like Tango to captivate audiences throughout the Americas and Spain. 

Grever once said: 'I had to leave my country, and now in New York, I'm interested in Jazz and modern rhythms, but above all Mexican music, which I look forward to being introduced to. American people. I'm afraid they don't know much about it. It is music with pervasive value. I wanted and aspired to bring indigenous (Mexican) melodies from a practical perspective, but with the flexibility needed to appeal to a general audience."

Loved for a lifetime

During her lifetime, María Grever wrote more than 800 songs, music - most of which were boleros - and her popularity reached audiences in the Americas, Europe.

Some of her biggest hits include "Júrame" ("Promise, Love", 1926) and "What a Difference a Day Makes" (originally titled "Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado", 1934). The song "What a Difference a Day Makes" won the 1959 Grammy Award by jazz legend, Dinah Washington.

María Grever died in 1951 in New York after a long illness. At her own request before her death, her remains were taken to Mexico City - her hometown. 

In 1953, the famous Argentine singer-actress and Latin American star Libertad Lamarque (1908-2000) played María Grever in "Cuando me Vaya" (When I Leave), a biopic about María Grever Directed by Tito Davison. 

Three years later, Libertad Lamarque - considered one of the icons of the Golden Age of Cinema in Argentina and Mexico - released a best-selling album, featuring María Grever's most popular songs, titled María Grever. titled "Libtad Lamarque canta canciones de Maria Grever".

In recognition of her contributions to music, the Association of Women of the Americas (UWA) honored María Grever as "Woman of the Americas" in 1952.

Thanks to María Grever and her music. Her melodies and lyrics continue to impress listeners around the world today.