José Zapiola

He learned by himself to play the clarinet in 1819, with the support and help of Danish businessman and music lover Carlos Drewetcke.

In 1850, Zapiola participated in the "Egalitarian Society" (Spanish: Sociedad de la Igualdad), a club created by Rafael Arcos Arlegui and Francisco Bilbao, which was a utopian socialist attempt, with deeply romantic overtones.

The membership was composed primarily of artisans and young people of middle and high class background.

In 1857, Zapiola was appointed director of the newly founded Conservatory of Music at Santiago, where he taught many artists, but he resigned a few months later due to the perceived lack of interest and funding allotted by the government.

He also wrote a book of historical incidents, sketches of Chilean customs and autobiographical memoirs: Remembraces of thirty years (1872) (Spanish: Recuerdos de treinta años).