Gilbert Favre (d. December 12, 1998) was a flautist of Swiss and French descent. He also played the quena as a founding member of the popular Bolivian folk group Los Jairas. Allegedly, while living in Chile, as an anthropologist, Favre and Violeta Parra met and they fell in love, provoking Parra's divorce. Favre eventually left for Bolivia and started playing and experimenting with Andean music with virtouso guitar player Alfredo Dominguez and renowned Ernesto Cavour, but Violeta would follow and be part of the scene of La Paz for a while. However, as Favre, Dominguez and Cavour started having resonance in the media and becoming popular he decided that he was not going back to Chile and Violeta left for good; she would later write the famous song Gracias A la Vida (que me ha dado tanto)", dedicated to Gilbert, and commit suicide. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A flautist demonstrates flute-playing technique A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays the flute. ... The quena (quechua: qina, sometimes also written kena in english) is the traditional flute of the Andes. ... Los Jairas are a folk music band from Bolivia. ... Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (October 14, 1917 – February 5, 1967) was a notable Chilean folklorist and visual artist. ... Gracias a la Vida was a 1974 album by Joan Baez, author Violeta Parra. ...