Francisco Gabilondo Soler: the “Walt Disney” of Mexico
By Sheryl Losser
Francisco Gabilondo Soler in front of XEW microphone and his guests, several children who are fans of his songs. (Facebook: Fundación Francisco Soler)
When I was still a young child in the United States, in diapers jumping up and down in the late 1950s singing the “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E” song, children across Mexico were singing the songs of Cri-Cri, El Grillito Cantor – the singing cricket. This was due to the creativity and talent of the famous composer Francisco Gabilondo Soler.
Gabilondo’s Early Years
Gabilondo – known as Cri-Cri after his most famous fantasy character – is remembered as one of the greatest Mexican composers of the Twentieth Century. He was born in 1909 in Orizoba, Veracruz. His parents divorced when he was young leaving him in the care of his grandmother; his formal education ended at the sixth grade. But he was a voracious reader; reading everything: Science, History, Languages, Literature, Geography and Astronomy, which became his favorite subject. He also taught himself calculus which he especially enjoyed and used to verify stellar movements in the night sky and his music.
Gabilondo took inspiration from nature, his grandmother’s songs and stories, and his favorite books: Jules Verne, Aesop’s Fables, tales by the Brothers Grimm, Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, and Emilio Salgari. He was an imaginative child and would create characters and stories based on the sounds he experienced in nature. He dabbled in swimming and boxing, and even became a good bullfighter. But a trip to New Orleans when he was 17 changed his trajectory in life. He was captivated by the jazz he heard which motivated him to become a composer.
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