Sebastián de Iradier y Salaverri (Salberri) (1809-1865), Spanish composer, also known as Sebastián Yradier. Born on January 20, 1809 in Lanciego, in the province of Álava. His publisher in Paris urged him to "universalize" his name, from Iradier to Yradier. He is known primarily for his habaneras, especially the one titled "La Paloma", written around 1860 after a visit to Cuba. "La Paloma" was extremely popular in both Spain and America (especially Mexico), where it was responsible for the great popularity achieved by the habanera. Another of Iradier's compositions is 'El Arreglito', an habanera used by Georges Bizet in his opera Carmen. Bizet, thinking it was a folk song, took the melody of 'El Arreglito' and created what is known today as the 'Habanera' from Carmen: the song 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle'. Iradier died in obscurity on December 6, 1865. (Hide extended text)...(Read all) Source : Wikipedia