Modesta Bor was a Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

 choir conductor, musicologist, teacher and composer. She was born in Juangriego

Juan Griego

Juan Griego is a city on the northern side of Isla Margarita, and is the most northern port in Venezuela. It has a population of 28,256 inhabitants and is capital of the Marcano municipality of the Nueva Esparta state.-History:...

 and studied in Caracas

Caracas

Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...

 with Elena Arrarte, Juan Bautista Plaza

Juan Bautista Plaza

Juan Bautista Plaza Alfonso was a classical composer. He began studies in medicine at the Central University of Venezuela but, with time, left in order to dedicate himself to music. His first teacher was Jesus Maria Suárez. He studied in Rome from 1920 and 1923 and obtained the title of...

, Antonio Estévez

Antonio Estévez

Antonio Estévez Aponte , was a Venezuelan musician, composer, and conductor, and founder of the Central University of Venezuela Chorus.Estévez was born to Mariano Estévez and Carmen Aponte...

, Maria de Lourdes Rotundo and Vicente Emilio Sojo

Vicente Emilio Sojo

Vicente Emilio Sojo was a Venezuelan musicologist, educator and composer, born in Guatire, Miranda.- Biography :...

, graduating with a degree in composition in 1959. She continued her studies at the Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Aram Khachaturian

Aram Khachaturian

Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...

. In 1960 she won her first National Music Prize with Sonata for violin and piano.

After completing her studies, Bor returned to Venezuela to work as a composer, teacher and choir director, becoming head of the music department in the Central University of Venezuela

Central University of Venezuela

The Central University of Venezuela is a premier public University of Venezuela located in Caracas...

 Culture Department. She also served as director of the musicology section of Folklore Research of the National Service. She died in Mérida

Merida

Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...

.

Works

Bor composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, piano and vocal performance, writing more than 95 choral works for mixed and 130 for equal-voice choir. Selected works include:

• Children's Suite
• Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito (in Tríptico sobre poesía cubana, for voice and piano) (Text: Nicolas Guillén)
• Coplas venezolanas (in Segundo cico de romanzas y canciones, for contralto and piano) (Text: Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño)
• Guitarra (in Tríptico sobre poesía cubana for voice and piano) (Text: Nicolas Guillén)
• Nocturno en los muellas (in Tríptico sobre poesía cubana for voice and piano) (Text: Nicolas Guillén)
• Pregón (in Segundo cico de romanzas y canciones for contralto and piano) (Text: Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño)
• Si el silencio fuera mío (in Segundo cico de romanzas y canciones for contralgo and piano) (Text: Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño)
• Suspiro cuando te miro (in Segundo cico de romanzas y canciones for contralto and piano) (Text: Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño)