Joaquín Valverde

Who was Joaquín Valverde?

Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas. He was the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán, also a zarzuela composer, and was usually called Quinito Valverde to distinguish him from his father. In his day he was referred to as the "Tango King", the "Franz Lehár of Spanish music" and the "Spanish Offenbach", and his dance tunes were known internationally. Now he is perhaps best known for a short song called "Clavelitos", which has been recorded by many sopranos.