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Bola de Nieve (literally ''Snowball'') (11 September 1911 – 2 October 1972), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter, whose round, black face earned him the nickname by which he was always known.〔Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana. vol 1, p139〕 Villa Fernández was born in Guanabacoa, and studied at the Mateu Conservatoire of Havana. He worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until his friend Rita Montaner took him on as an accompanist in the early 1930s. After Montaner returned to Cuba, Villa Fernández remained in Mexico and developed an original performance style as a pianist and singer. He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a sophisticated cabaret stylist known for ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, with a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan, Portuguese and Italian. He toured widely in Europe and the Americas, and his friends included Andrés Segovia and Pablo Neruda. He was black and gay, self-confident in his personality, and was accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.〔Depestre Catony, Leonardo 1990. ''Cuatro músicos de una villa''. Letras Cubanas, La Habana. Biographies of four musicians from Guanabacoa: Ernesto Lecuona, Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve and Juan Arrondo.〕〔(''Moved by spirits: Cuba's musical legends still alive in today's music'' by Jordan Levin, McClatchy Newspapers, April 19 2007 )〕 Bola de Nieve was a fervent supporter of the Castro regime. He was one of the few Cuban homosexuals not to be persecuted, perhaps for this reason. Gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, in his autobiography ''Antes que anochezca'' (''Before Night Falls''), said about him: "Era el calesero del Partido Comunista" ("He was the coachman of the Revolution"). He died in Mexico City during a musical visit. He was the subject of a 2003 documentary which included interviews with fellow musicians, friends, relatives, and experts.〔(Review of documentary film ''Bola de Nieve'' by Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, October 24, 2003 )〕 ==Selected filmography== *''Melodies of America'' (1941) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bola de Nieve」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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