CASAZOLA, Matilde

Bolivian poet, composer, singer-songwriter, and guitarist, born in Sucre. She studied music at the Escuela Nacional de Maestros and studied guitar with the Spanish musician Pedro García Ripoll. For several years, she taught guitar at the Mauro Núñez Cáceres National School of Folklore in La Paz.
Casazola is primarily a composer of songs rather than concert music. She writes both the words and music, combining poetry with forms and stylistic elements derived from Bolivian popular and folk traditions, particularly the cueca. Her best-known songs include De regreso, Rosa de tiempo, Tanto te amé, Como un fueguito, and El milagro. Her songs have also been performed and recorded by artists such as Emma Junaro, Jenny Cárdenas, and Luis Rico. The collection Canciones del corazón para la vida contains forty of her compositions.