Juan F. Acosta - First Composition

First Composition

Acosta had a girlfriend called Carmela who in turn had another friend by the same name. Before moving from San Sebastian, in 1909, at the age of 19, he wrote his first danza titled Las Carmelas, inspired by the girls. He moved to the town of Adjuntas where he organized its municipal band and various school bands. It is also where he met his future wife, Ramonita Nieves.

Acosta's artistic talent was soon solicited in other parts of Puerto Rico and he found himself working and visiting other towns. One of his students was a young man by the name of Rafael Alers, who in the future would also become a distinguished musician himself. He visited over 37 towns, where he instructed teachers in music and helped develop the educational music system of their schools.

On July 7, 1936, Acosta was resting under a pine tree in the plaza of the town of Hatillo, which inspired him to write one of his greatest compositions, the danza Bajo La Sombra de un Pino (Under the Shade of a Pine). Among Acosta's many compositions are Asi es la Vida (That's Life); and "Glorias del Pasado" (Glories of the Past). Acosta wrote over 844 musical pieces, including 127 hymns.