Gaspar Villate

At sixteen years old, Gaspar Villate composed the opera "Angelo, tirano de Padua" based on the homonymous drama by Víctor Hugo. A friend of Giusseppe Verdi, he premiered in Paris at the Theatre Italien his opera "Zilia" (1877); La zarina (1879) and in Madrid, at the Teatro Real, a work based on "Baltasar" (1875), by Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda.

It has been noted that his theatrical production lacks Cuban character, except for his pieces "La virgen tropical", "Adiós a Cuba" and "Contradanzas", the most accomplished works in his repertoire.