Emilio Sierra Baquero (15 September 1891 – 8 March 1957) was a Colombian musician and composer. Along with Milcíades Garavito Wheeler he is credited with inventing the Colombian musical genre of .
Biography Emilio Sierra Baquero was born on 15 September 1891 in Fusagasugá, in the Colombian department of Cundinamarca, to Teodomilda Baquero and Vicente Sierra. As a child he learned to play guitar, tiple, and harmonium. Beginning in 1906, Sierra directed his local choir in Fusagasugá. He then moved to Bogotá and directed choirs in various towns around the city, including Chía, Chipaque, Zipaquirá, and Girardot. In November 1921 Sierra married María Espinel Sabogal, with whom he had three children.
Sierra returned to Bogotá in 1935, and lived there for the next decade. During that time he studied at the National Conservatory, led his own orchestra, and alongside Milcíades Garavito Wheeler is credited with inventing the . Sierra performed his composition "Vivan los novios" on Radio Santa Fe in 1938, the year it started operating. He recorded two songs with Matilde Díaz and her sister Elvira. In 1945 he left Bogotá, and undertook a national musical tour. He ended up living in Tuluá, where he taught at the Colegio del Pacífico. In 1946 Sierra was a founder of SAYCO, the Colombian copyright collective, and he served as the first president.
Sierra died on 8 March 1957 in Cali.
Musical style and compositions Sierra composed over 120 songs. He is known for being one of the first composers of , and his notable compositions in the genre include "Vivan los novios", "Trago a los músicos", and "A juerguiar tocan". Sierra also composed in the styles of bambuco, pasillo, porro, and bolero.
Several of Sierra's compositions were given lyrics by Luis Eduardo Castillo, Rafael Almanza, and José Joaquín Jiménez. He also wrote some lyrics himself, for example to the song "Mojicón".
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