Genaro Codina was born on September 10, 1852 in the city of Zacatecas located in the central Mexican province of the same name. With only a fey interruptions Codina spent most of his life in that region. Genaro’s parents furthered the musical talents of their son by sending him to a private music school. He played several instruments, but he preferred the portable harp. Around his native city he was more known as a manufacturer of spectacular fireworks rather than as an artist. In 1887, when Genaro Codina was employed in the local bank, the Mexican President, Porfirio Diaz, decreed that he become an accountant in the provincial administration. This ordinance stemmed from a march which Codina had dedicated to the President.
Not much is known about Codina’s career and activities as an artist. Mexican sources available show him as a composer of marches and dances. In later years he also directed the “Orquestra Tipica Zacatecana” with which he went to Mexico City and also toured the United States. It was probably Fernando Villalpando, his brother-in-law and director of the local city band, who exercised a formative musical influence on Genaro Codina.
Codina died in Zacatecas in November 1901. He was honored posthumously as “Hombre ilustre de Zacatecas”.
