Rafael Felipe Lay Apesteguía

Outstanding Cuban violinist, composer, arranger, and orchestra conductor. He directed the Orquesta Aragón, which under his guidance reached the peak of popularity in Cuba due to its interpretive level, scenic elegance, and essential Cuban character, reasons for which it also obtained highly significant international recognition.

He completed his studies in solfège, music theory, and violin in his native city with Sara Torres López, with whom he graduated in 1945; he concluded his musical training in Havana at the Conservatorio Alejandro García Caturla, where he was a student of Dolores Torres, Félix Guerrero, and Alfredo Diez Nieto.

In Cienfuegos, he belonged to the orchestra of Agustín Sánchez Planas; he founded and directed the Choir and Chamber Orchestra of Cienfuegos. In 1940 he replaced Hilario González as second violin of the Orquesta Aragón; shortly after he assumed the position of first violin.

In 1948, replacing Orestes Aragón, he became the conductor of the Orquesta Aragón. In 1955 he moved with Aragón to Havana, and here he conducted, in 1967, the Orquesta Popular de Conciertos Gonzalo Roig; subsequently, he founded and directed the string orchestra Brindis de Salas.

He worked as a harmony professor at the Escuela de Superación Profesional Ignacio Cervantes. He was a music advisor for the Ministry of Culture and a member of the National Evaluation Commission.

At the helm of the Orquesta Aragón, he performed on the most demanding stages: Teatro Amadeo Roldán, Havana, Teatro Blanquita, Mexico City, where he alternated, among others, with Dámaso Pérez Prado, the Avery Fisher Hall of Lincoln Center, New York, Chaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Olympia Theater in Paris, Expo'70, Osaka, Japan; Palace of the People, Conakry. Additionally, he performed for the most diverse audiences throughout almost the entire world.

As a composer, Lay cultivated almost all genres of Cuban popular music, and was characterized by his good taste in both texts and orchestrations. He was a violinist, within dance music, of certain virtuosity, which he demonstrated when he performed works by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, accompanied by the Orquesta Popular de Conciertos, directed by composer Alfredo Diez Nieto. With this same group, he conducted Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, with Frank Emilio as pianist, and Symphony No. 8 by fellow German Ludwig van Beethoven.

As conductor of Aragón, he demonstrated the ability to accompany singers with the most diverse vocal abilities, always guiding them to achieve correct interpretation, whatever genre they sang. With Aragón he made tours through Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico, Guyana, United States, France, Spain, Poland, German Democratic Republic, Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Conakry, Congo (Brazzaville), Guinea, Egypt, Algeria, Tanzania, Mali, Sierra Leone, Angola.

Works
Bolero
Atrás
destino (co-author Jesús García Granja)
Injusticia de amor
Lo sé bien, Mi amor ideal, No eres comprensible, No hables más así (co-author, Marisela Ramírez), Qué poco he sido para ti, Réquiem por mi dolor (co-author, Marisela Ramírez), Te sé tener, Tras un gran vacío (co-author, Marisela Ramírez), Vida, te adoro. Song Juramento a Cuba, Tienes la respuesta. Conga Un pueblo en carnaval. Chachachá Cero codazos, cero cabezazos, Chachachá instrumental, Chachachá navideño, Fronteras de clase (co-author, Jesús Orta Ruiz, El Indio Naborí), Guido postalita, Los Rítmicos de Palma, Tan sabrosona (co-author, Richard Egües), Tienes que espabilarte (co-author, José Janero), Tú decías que el amor. Charleston Mi charleston cha. Danzón A nadie más, Mario, Nick y Humberto, Nuestro mundo, Qué bien estamos, Sí, envidia.

Danzón-cha
Chachachá del satélite (co-author, Richard Egües)
Guaracha Muanga
Tú decías que el amor
Un charlatán

Hymn
Himno a la Escuela Ignacio Cervantes.

Mambo
Mambo inspiración.

Pachanga
La pachanga de Dalia.

He died in a tragic traffic accident on August 13, 1982