Maurice Ohana, born in 1913 of Gibraltarian parentage in Casablanca, North Africa, spent his childhood in Bayonne, France, and later studied in Paris. He also took lessons in Barcelona with the distinguished pianist Frank Marshall and gave his piano recital début in Paris in 1936. He was fascinated by flamenco, African tribal music and medieval music as well as being strongly influenced by the works of Debussy and Falla.
