Raúl Ferrão, born on October 20, 1890, in Lisbon, Portugal, was a Portuguese composer. He attended the Military College and later served in the Portuguese Afrikakorps during World War I. After the war, he turned to music composition in the 1920s. Ferrão wrote music for revues, theater pieces, and films such as A Canção de Lisboa (1933) and Maria Papoila (1937). His notable compositions included "Cancão da Papoila", "Fado do estudante", and "Marcha da Mouraria". Ferrão's international breakthrough came when he wrote the melody for the fado "Coimbra", which evolved into "April in Portugal", and became a global hit covered by artists such as Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. He died on April 30, 1953, in Lisbon.
