Alejandro Vega Matus

Alejandro Vega Matus (August 17, 1873 – November 26, 1937) was a Nicaraguan composer. He founded his own orchestra in 1894, which grew to become one of Nicaragua’s most prominent groups. Matus was a prolific composer, particularly known for his waltzes. Biography Matus was born on August 17, 1873, in Masaya, Nicaragua. His father was Pablo Vega y Raudes, a composer. His family included many musicians, including the composer of “Salve a ti, Nicaragua”, the Nicaraguan national anthem. Matus studied music as a child with Don Carmen and later moved to Guatemala where Giovanni Aberle taught him at the Guatemalan Conservatory of Music. However, Grove Music Online describes him as “essentially self-taught”. He eventually returned to Nicaragua in 1894, founding and conducting an orchestra, Orquesta Vega Matus. Grove Music Online writes that the group grew to become the “unrivalled musical performance group of dance and semi-classical music in the nation.” He died on November 26, 1937, in Masaya. Matus was well known and respected during his lifetime, and was one of the first composers in the region seeing their music recorded and distributed. Matus composed numerous works, predominantly funer