Born in Ponce on May 16, 1857, he is without any doubt, the maximum exponent of the Puerto Rican danza. He was the most prolific danza composer and the one who took that form to its highest level. "Felices Días", "Vano Empeño", "No me toques", "Mis penas", "Tormento", "Alma Sublime" and many others are only a small sample of his vast repertoire, which is calculated in more than 550 compositions of which more than 300 are danzas. He began his musical studies at the tender age of eight under Prof.