May 2 (RHC) Renowned Cuban guitar maestro and composer Sergio Vitier died in Havana on Sunday, at age 68.

Sergio Vitier, who wrote music for countless Cuban movies and for television, was the recipient of Cuba’s National Music Award in 2014.

In article today, the daily Granma describes Sergio as one of the most comprehensive, authentic and deep-rooted musicians in Cuban culture of the last five decades, his works considered a synthesis of the foundational elements in Cuba’s national identity.

Sergio and his brother, pianist Jose Maria Vitier, are the sons of the well-known writers Fina García Marruz and Cintio Vitier.

There is an indispensable academic component in music, Sergio had said. But such learning is not enough, he cautioned,--to be a real musician, one needs to open the pores and the heart to human experience and intuition.

Radio Havana Cuba joins those on the island mourning the death of Sergio Vitier and expresses condolences to his family.