Maria del Carmen Perez Jimenez Barradas was a Uruguayan pianist, composer, and choral teacher.
Background
Maria del Carmen Pérez Jiménez was born in Montevideo, the daughter of Spanish residents Santos Rojas and still life painter Antonio Pérez Giménez Barradas. She first studied with Antonio Frank, but ended the study after her father died in 1898.
Career
Her youngest brother was writer and poet Antonio De Ignacios. After World War I, Rafael Barradas found he was unable to return from Spain to Uruguay, so in 1916 Barradas" family moved to Spain. The family struggled to get there, having to apply for entry as laborers.
Once in Spain, Carmen and her mother supported themselves by making toys.
However, Carmen also developed as a composer and actively participated in the artistic life of Barcelona. In 1917 she gave a concert of her own works.
Barradas lived and composed in Spain until 1922, then returned with her family to Montevideo in 1928, where she took a position teaching at the Institutos Normales. During this period, she published a magazine for children called Andresillo which included cartoons and songs.
Barradas produced her own works at the Teatro Solís in 1934 and ended her composing career in 1949.
She died in Montevideo. However, pianist and musicologist Néffer Kröger retained and interpreted some of the scores. About 170 partial and complete manuscripts are left.