Marco Rizo
Encyclopedia
Marco Rizo Ayala was born in Santiago de Cuba
, Oriente, Cuba
. He was a Cuban-born pianist, composer
, and arranger
. He mastered the 19th Century works of composers Manuel Saumell
and Ignacio Cervantes
.
He is best known for his role as pianist
, arranger and orchestrator for the American television sitcom I Love Lucy
which aired from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS, Columbia Broadcasting System.
Throughout his career which combined the techniques of his classical training with Afro-Cuban
and jazz
rhythms, Rizo recorded nearly 30 albums.
to attend the National Conservatory of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Spanish composer Pedro San Juan. He remained there for six years, and in 1938 was named the official pianist of the Havana Philharmonic Orquestra, performing under the direction of Ernesto Lecuona
. In 1939, he performed duo piano recitals with Ernesto Lecuona
.
In 1940, he migrated to the United States, having received a scholarship to the Juilliard School
of Music in New York City. There, he studied under Rosina Lhévinne
. He also performed and orchestrated with the 2nd Army Military Band during World War II
.
asked Rizo to join him as the pianist and orchestrator for his band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra
. He toured the U.S. with the band until 1950. When Arnaz started production of I Love Lucy
, he once again turned to Rizo, hiring him to be the pianist and orchestrator for the show between 1951 and 1957. Rizo also made several on-camera appearances on the show throughout its run on television.
The I Love Lucy theme was written by Desi Arnaz
, Eliot Daniel and Marco Rizo and finally, Rizo has been given proper credit.
After the I Love Lucy
show ended, he remained with CBS
and was the pianist-arranger for the “Bob Hope
Radio Show.”
While in Los Angeles, he attended UCLA and studied under Igor Stravinsky
and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
. Rizo composed motion picture music for Columbia, Paramount and MGM Studios. He continued his concert career in 1960, playing the music of Lecuona and other Cubans.
In the early 1970s, Rizo worked as the musical director for the Royal Viking Sea cruise ship. Throughout his career, he arranged for hundreds of top artists: Carmen Miranda
, Danny Kaye
, Xavier Cugat
, Yma Sumac
, and Paquito D’Rivera, among many others. Some of his most memorable piano and orchestral compositions include “Suite Campesina,” “Ñañigo,” “Danzas Cubanas,” “Jose Marti-Sinfonia Cubana,” “Broadway Concerto,” “Suite of the Americas,” “Suite Española,” and “Visions of New York.”
In 1989, Rizo won the Silver Medal of the French Academy of the Arts, Sciences and Letters.
He died of a heart attack in 1998 at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. His sister, Vilma Rizo, donated many of his papers, files, and compositions to the Music Division at the New York Public Library
for the Performing Arts located at Lincoln Center in New York City
. Among the various items in the collection is an unpublished biography that Rizo wrote of his longtime friend Desi Arnaz entitled “The Desi I Knew” (1991).
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Oriente, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He was a Cuban-born pianist, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
. He mastered the 19th Century works of composers Manuel Saumell
Manuel Saumell
Manuel Saumell Robredo , was a Cuban composer of the highest importance for his invention and development of genuinely creolized forms of music...
and Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes Kawanagh was a Cuban virtuoso pianist and composer. He was influential in the creolization of Cuban music....
.
He is best known for his role as pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, arranger and orchestrator for the American television sitcom I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
which aired from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS, Columbia Broadcasting System.
Throughout his career which combined the techniques of his classical training with Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cuban
The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
rhythms, Rizo recorded nearly 30 albums.
Early life
Rizo’s father, Sebastian, a flutist with the Santiago Symphony Orchestra, served as his son’s first musical instructor. In 1932, Marco moved to HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
to attend the National Conservatory of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Spanish composer Pedro San Juan. He remained there for six years, and in 1938 was named the official pianist of the Havana Philharmonic Orquestra, performing under the direction of Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona y Casado was a Cuban composer and pianist of Canarian father and Cuban mother, and worldwide fame. He composed over six hundred pieces, mostly in the Cuban vein, and was a pianist of exceptional quality....
. In 1939, he performed duo piano recitals with Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona
Ernesto Lecuona y Casado was a Cuban composer and pianist of Canarian father and Cuban mother, and worldwide fame. He composed over six hundred pieces, mostly in the Cuban vein, and was a pianist of exceptional quality....
.
In 1940, he migrated to the United States, having received a scholarship to the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
of Music in New York City. There, he studied under Rosina Lhévinne
Rosina Lhévinne
Rosina Bessie Lhévinne was a Russian American pianist and famed pedagogue....
. He also performed and orchestrated with the 2nd Army Military Band during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Professional career
After the war, his childhood friend Desi ArnazDesi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
asked Rizo to join him as the pianist and orchestrator for his band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
. He toured the U.S. with the band until 1950. When Arnaz started production of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, he once again turned to Rizo, hiring him to be the pianist and orchestrator for the show between 1951 and 1957. Rizo also made several on-camera appearances on the show throughout its run on television.
The I Love Lucy theme was written by Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
, Eliot Daniel and Marco Rizo and finally, Rizo has been given proper credit.
After the I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
show ended, he remained with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and was the pianist-arranger for the “Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
Radio Show.”
While in Los Angeles, he attended UCLA and studied under Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italian composer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In 1939 he migrated to the United States and became a film composer for some 200 Hollywood movies for the next...
. Rizo composed motion picture music for Columbia, Paramount and MGM Studios. He continued his concert career in 1960, playing the music of Lecuona and other Cubans.
In the early 1970s, Rizo worked as the musical director for the Royal Viking Sea cruise ship. Throughout his career, he arranged for hundreds of top artists: Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, GCIH was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, Broadway actress and Hollywood film star popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was, by some accounts, the highest-earning woman in the United States and noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie The Gang's...
, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
, Yma Sumac
Yma Súmac
Yma Sumac was a noted Peruvian soprano. In the 1950s, she was one of the most famous proponents of exotica music. She became an international success based on her extreme vocal range, which was said to be "well over four octaves" and was sometimes claimed to span even five octaves at her peak.Yma...
, and Paquito D’Rivera, among many others. Some of his most memorable piano and orchestral compositions include “Suite Campesina,” “Ñañigo,” “Danzas Cubanas,” “Jose Marti-Sinfonia Cubana,” “Broadway Concerto,” “Suite of the Americas,” “Suite Española,” and “Visions of New York.”
Legacy
In the early 1980s, he founded the non-profit organization “The Marco Rizo Latin American Music Project” (SAMPI), which aimed to spread appreciation for Latin music and culture to students in universities, colleges, high schools, and public schools.In 1989, Rizo won the Silver Medal of the French Academy of the Arts, Sciences and Letters.
He died of a heart attack in 1998 at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. His sister, Vilma Rizo, donated many of his papers, files, and compositions to the Music Division at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
for the Performing Arts located at Lincoln Center in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Among the various items in the collection is an unpublished biography that Rizo wrote of his longtime friend Desi Arnaz entitled “The Desi I Knew” (1991).