Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón Lara … Read Full Bio ↴Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón Lara y Aguirre del Pino (30 October 1897 – 6 November 1970) was a famous Mexican composer who is also considered a musical poet. Beter known as Agustín Lara, he was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico. Later, the Lara family had to move again to the capital, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After their mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by her older sister, Refugio Aguirre del Pino. It was there that he had his first contact with music.

Lara's first musical composition was "Marucha," written in honour of one of his first loves. In 1927 he already was working in cabarets. He subsequently moved to Puebla, but returned to the capital in 1929. That same year he started working for the tenor Juan Arvizu as composer and accompanist. In September 1930, he began a successful radio career. At the same time he acted and composed songs for such films as Santa (1931).

In 1933 Lara's first tour in Cuba was a failure because of political turmoil on the island. Later, more successful tours in South America, as well as such new compositions as "Solamente Una Vez" (composed in Buenos Aires and dedicated to José Mujica), "Veracruz", "Tropicana", and "Pecadora" increased his fame. Lara was also known for his love affairs with various women, among them María Félix, who became one of his many wives, and to whom he dedicated his most famous compositions, such as "María Bonita", "Aquel Amor" and "Noche de Ronda." He wrote more than 700 songs.

By the beginning of the 1940s, Lara was well-known in Spain. In 1965, the Spanish Caudillo Francisco Franco gave him a beautiful house in Granada in appreciation of his songs with Spanish themes, such as "Toledo", "Granada", "Seville", and "Madrid". He received additional honors and decorations from around the world.

It is said that Lara never learned musical notation.

In 1968 Lara's health began to decline rapidly; an accident that fractured his pelvis further aggravated his condition. On November 6, 1970, the musician-poet died. He was buried in the Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres of the Panteón de Dolores in Mexico City.

Nowadays, in the port of Veracruz, there is a nostalgic place for El Flaco de Oro’s followers: La Casita Blanca ("The Little White House"). From this museum and bohemian corner, the ocean waves can be heard, and the romantic sense of the Veracruzans is evident. Younger and older generations express their emotion while singing "Piensa en mí" ("Think about me") in homage to one who always loved his country.

Agustín Lara sang for his cousin Edward Lara's wedding to Graciela Chabolla Garcia (who then became Graciela Chabolla de Lara) in Mexico City in 1964.

He is survived and celebrated by his extensive family. The Lara family and its musical roots now extend from southern and central Mexico to California. (His cousin Francisco Lara (+), Trinidad Lara (+) nephew Armando Lara Sr,(Coroba Veracruz) (+) niece Arminda Paula Lara DeHoyos (Laredo TX), Adolfo Lara (+), Gelacio Lara (+), Roberto Lara, Herminia Lara, Zenon Lara, Socorro Lara, Antonio Lara, Lesvia Lara, Victor Lara( (NL MEX) Manuel Lara, Edward Lara, Rocio Lara, Eduardo Alejandro Lara, Gerardo Lara) and Wisconsin (Edward Manuel Lara and his wife Mary Lou Lara) in the U.S.

Noche Criolla
Agustín Lara Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Noche tibia y callada de Veracruz
Cuento de pescadores que arrulla el mar
Vibración de cocuyos que con su luz
Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad
Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad

Noche tropical
Lánguida y sensual

Noche que se desmaya sobre la arena
Mientras canta la playa su inútil pena

Noche tropical
Cielo de tisú
Tienes la sombra de una mirada criolla
Noche de Veracruz, noche de Veracruz

Ay, ay
Ay, ay
Vibración de cocuyos que con su luz

Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad
Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad

Overall Meaning

The song "Noche Criolla" by Agustín Lara is a tribute to the tropical, languid, seductive night of Veracruz, a city that is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The opening verse sets the scene for a warm, calm night in Veracruz, with the sound of fishermen's tales carried on the sea. The second verse dives deeper into the atmosphere of the tropical night, with mentions of the flickering light of fireflies and the darkness embroidered with sequins. The chorus cements the idea that this is a "tropical" night, using imagery of a sky made of silk and the "shadow of a criolla gaze". The criolla - meaning "Creole" - element adds a layer of sensuality and exoticism to the lyrics.

The song is a mixture of romanticism and realism, with the language and imagery creating a vivid picture of the night in Veracruz. The use of cocuyos, or fireflies, to describe the small lights flickering in the darkness is a lovely touch that captures the natural world of Veracruz. The repetition of the line "Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad" creates a rhythm and a visual image that is both poetic and symbolic. The song is a celebration of the night, and the beauty and sensuality that can be found in it.

Line by Line Meaning

Noche tibia y callada de Veracruz
Warm and quiet night in Veracruz

Cuento de pescadores que arrulla el mar
A tale of fishermen that lulls the sea

Vibración de cocuyos que con su luz
Vibration of fireflies that with their light

Bordan de lentejuela la oscuridad
Embroider sequins on the darkness

Noche tropical
Tropical night

Lánguida y sensual
Languid and sensual

Noche que se desmaya sobre la arena
Night that fades over the sand

Mientras canta la playa su inútil pena
While the beach sings its useless sorrow

Noche tropical
Tropical night

Cielo de tisú
Tissue sky

Tienes la sombra de una mirada criolla
You have the shadow of a creole look