On today’s date in 1843, a composer dubbed “The Chopin of America” was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His name was Manuel Gregorio Tavárez, born to a French father and Puerto Rican mother. He began his musical studies in San Juan but at the age of 15 moved to France to study at the Paris Conservatory with two leading French composers of the day, Daniel Auber and Eugen D'Albert.

While in Paris, Tavárez suffered a stroke that paralyzed his left hand and affected his hearing. He returned to Puerto Rico, overcame those problems and after giving several recitals in San Juan, became a piano teacher.

As a composer, Tavárez developed an original dance form called Danza–similar to the waltz, but tinged with Afro-Cuban rhythms from the Caribbean and the wistful melancholy of European Romantic composers.

Tavárez gave his works evocative titles like “La Sensitiva” (The Sensitive one), “La Ausencia” (Absense), “Un Recuerdito” (A little remembrance) and “Pobre Corazón” (Poor heart), but the title of his most famous Danza, written in 1870, was simply a woman’s name: “Margarita.”

Like Chopin, Tavárez lived only 39 years. He died in 1883.