Bola de Nieve

Bola de Nieve (literally Snowball; 11 September 1911 – 2 October 1971), born Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was a Cuban singer-pianist and songwriter. His name originates from his round, black face.

Villa Fernández was born in Guanabacoa, eastern Havana, where he studied at the Conservatorio de José Mateu. 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, and was self-confident in his personality, and accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.

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.

Birth and Death Data: Born Havana Province (former province of Cuba), Died October 2, 1971 (Mexico City (capital and largest city of Mexico) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1934 - 1956

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, piano, composer, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-027925 10-in. 10/17/1938 Si me pudieras querer Ramiro Gómez ; Orquesta "La Conga" ; Oscar de la Rosa Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BAVE-039550 10-in. before 12/6/1940 Tu me has de querer Pedro Vargas Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble instrumentalist, piano, composer  
Victor BAVE-039763 10-in. 1/21/1941 Señorita Chi Chi Bola de Nieve ; Lecuona Cuban Boys ; Osvaldo Novarro Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039773 10-in. before 6/21/1914 No quiero que me quieras Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039774 10-in. before 6/21/1941 No dejes que te olivide Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano instrumentalist, piano, vocalist  
Victor BAVE-039776 10-in. before 6/21/1941 Berceuse negra Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039777 10-in. before 6/21/1941 Señor! ¿Por qué? Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039778 10-in. before 6/21/1941 Calota-ta mori Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039782 10-in. before 5/14/1941 Amor internacional Bola de Nieve Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039785 10-in. before 5/14/1941 Rumba y conga Bola de Nieve Piano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor BAVE-039786 10-in. 7/16/1941 Empieza el Beguine Bola de Nieve PIano solo instrumentalist, piano  
Victor MBS-094489 10-in. before 4/6/1954 No dejes que te olvide Gustavo Prado ; Enrique Quezada ; Saulo Sedano ; Los Tres Diamantes Male vocal and instrumental trio composer, lyricist  
Victor CU-288 10-in. before 4/18/1940 Arroyito de mi casa Esther Borja ; Orquesta Alfredo Brito Instrumental ensemble, with female vocal solo composer  
Victor CU-493 10-in. before 6/27/1940 Tú me has de querer Conjunto Fernando Mulens ; Dúo Primavera Female vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor CU-942[b] 10-in. 7/5/1956 Si me pudieras querer Raffi Muñoz ; Orquesta Rafael Somavilla Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Columbia CO21328 10-in. 6/29/1937 Si me pudieras querer Cuarteto Caney Vocal and instrumental ensemble composer  
Brunswick SA2258 10-in. 10/16/1934 Se fué : Canción Hermanas Águila‏ Female vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Brunswick SA2259 10-in. 10/16/1934 Te vengo a decir adiós : Canción Hermanas Águila‏ Female vocal duet, with orchestra composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bola de Nieve," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104295.

Bola de Nieve. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104295.

"Bola de Nieve." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104295

External Sources

Wikipedia: Bola de Nieve

Discogs: Bola de Nieve

Allmusic: Bola de Nieve

IMDb: Bola de Nieve

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Bola de Nieve (Musician), 1911-1971 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83139580

Wikidata: Bola de Nieve - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q891248

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/133180059

MusicBrainz: Bola de Nieve - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e6a68915-dad2-42f7-b0e7-8a4bf98c26c8

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/115226 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/115226

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