Joseph Lacalle
Spanish conductor (1859–1937)
José María Lacalle García, known in the United States as Joseph M. Lacalle (17 November 1859 – 11 June 1937), was a Spanish-American clarinetist, composer, conductor and music critic. He is best known for composing the song "Amapola". His surname is misspelled LaCalle in some sources.
Biography and career
José María Lacalle García was born in Cádiz, Spain. He began his musical studies in his hometown, which he would continue in Havana, Cuba, where he emigrated at a very young age. Later on emigrated to the United States in 1884, sailing from the Port of Havana, to the Port of New York on the S/S Newport. He performed on woodwind instruments with several popular bands, including the John Philip Sousa Band, the Patrick Gilmore Band, the 7th Regiment Band, the Hoadley Musical Society Amateur Orchestra, and the Columbia Spanish Band. He conducted his own band, the Lacalle Band, and the 23rd Regiment Band. Lacalle directed instrumental groups for Columbia between 1917 and 1929, and participated in early recordings for other recording companies.
Lacalle composed numerous songs and marches, including Twenty-third Regiment March (1902), Pobrecito Faraon (1923), Amapola (1920), Aquel Beso (1927) and The Light That Never Fails (Luz Eterna) (1928).
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This entry incorporates text from “Joseph Lacalle” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.