Manuel Quiroga

Manuel López-Quiroga Miquel (January 30, 1899 – December 13, 1988), better known as Maestro Quiroga, was a Spanish composer especially known for his coplas, cuplés, and zarzuelas. He was also a pianist and one of the group of songwriters, Quintero, León and Quiroga, who created some of Spain's most popular and best-known songs from the mid-twentieth century.

Maestro Quiroga was born in Seville, Spain. In 1934 he began dedicating himself completely to music, giving classes to other new artists and composing. He was a prolific composer, with more than 5,000 works to his name, many of them becoming very popular in the 1940s and 1950s in Spain. As he did not write words, he always surrounded himself with lyricists like Salvador Valverde, Antonio Quintero and Rafael de León. Some of his most popular songs are Tatuaje, Rocio, La Paralla, María de la O, Ojos verdes, Te Lo Juro Yo and La Zarzamora.

He also composed several works for the stage. In 1941, he wrote La reina fea for the zarzuela star soprano, Pepita Embil. Her son, renowned tenor Plácido Domingo, has since recorded several of Quiroga's songs.

Maestro Quiroga died from a pulmonary edema at Virgen del Mar de Madrid clinic on December 13, 1988.

Zarzuelas