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Juan Vicente Torrealba
Juan Vicente Torrealba
Birth: 20 February 1917
Caracas, Venezuela
Death: 2 May 2019
Caracas, Venezuela
Age: 102 years, 71 days
Country: VenezuelaVEN
Centenarian

Juan Vicente Torrealba (20 February 1917 – 2 May 2019) was a Venezuelan centenarian, harpist, and composer of popular music.

Biography[]

Juan Vicente Torrealba was born on 20 February 1917 in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1947, along with his brother Arturo and his son Santana, he founded the group Los Torrealberos, playing with passion and rich nuances. The following year, he launched his solo career and performed before crowds in Latin America, Europe, and the United States.

In 1971, the recording of the album "Rhapsody Llanera" was the key to success in Torrealba's career, in which his group was accompanied by a symphony orchestra. Since then, the incorporation of the most varied instruments and technical elements was a constant and turned his group into a kind of chamber orchestra. Among his other compositions are "Sinfonia en el palmar [Spanish: Sinfonía]", "Mujer Guayanesa", and "Barquisimeto".

"La fillo zaina" – created in honor of Torrealba's wife Mirta Pantoja – inspired and gave musical framework to one of the most successful telenovelas in Colombia, in 1993, written by Bernardo Romero Pereiro and starring Aura Cristina Geithner and Miguel Varoni. Torrealba recorded 130 albums and composed more than 300 songs such as "La fillo zaina" and "Solito con the stars". A centenarian, he died on 2 May 2019 in Caracas, Venezuela, at the age of 102 years, 71 days.

References[]

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