Sebastián Iradier Salaverri (Salaberri) (20 January 1809 – 6 December 1865),[1] orSebastián Yradier, was a SpanishBasque composer.
Iradier was born inLanciego, in the province ofÁlava. His publisher in Paris urged him to "universalize" his name, from Iradier to Yradier.
He is known primarily for hishabaneras, especially the one titled "La Paloma", written around 1860 after a visit toCuba. "La Paloma" was extremely popular in bothSpain and theAmericas (especiallyMexico), where it was responsible for the great popularity achieved by the habanera. Radio Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has estimated that there are more than one thousand versions of "La Paloma", and said that, together with "Yesterday" byThe Beatles, it is one of the most recorded songs in the history of music.[citation needed]
Another of Iradier's compositions is "El Arreglito", a habanera used byGeorges Bizet in his operaCarmen. Bizet, thinking it was a folk song, was inspired by the melody, and recomposed it as the aria "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle", also known as the"Habanera". When he discovered his mistake, Bizet added a note to the vocal score of the opera, acknowledging its source.[2]
Iradier died in obscurity inVitoria-Gasteiz in 1865.
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