[1] He was known for compositions such as "Soul and Violin", "Night Whistle", "Go Albirroja Go" - the most popular song dedicated to the Paraguayan football team[2] - and several symphonic poems.
At the age of 11 he moved to the departmental capital, Encarnación, to begin his musical studies in a culturally important centre under teachers who would help him to improve himself.
He stayed for more than a decade in the region where he was born, and then in 1950 he moved to Asunción to try for success there, offering his talent as a violinist in any band that needed his skills while he was completing his higher-level studies with the most recognized and renowned teachers.[who?]
After staying for a year in Alarcón's ensemble, Álvarez took an important step in his career when the renowned composer and conductor Florentín Giménez invited him to be first violin in his "Traditional and Modern" group, which in the mid-fifties had a reputation hard to match.
In the early 1960s Álvarez started the "International Rhythm Band", refreshing the Paraguayan dance repertoire with selections of polkas and foreign hits over more than a decade.
Other works by him include "Madrecita Mía", "Che haitéma lo mitâ", "Purahéi", "Gustaví", "Mirtha Elizabeth", "Luisito", "Maria Victoria" and "Gladys Sunilda", all with Rudi Torga, dedicated to his children, in addition to the symphonic poems: "Jasy Retâ", "Sailor on the High Seas", "Malecón del Puerto", "Journey to the Horizon", among others.