A Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire: An Annotated Catalog of Twentieth-Century Art Songs for Voice and Piano

7 Cuba

148 7 Cuba It was during the transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century that a distinctly Cuban music, although influenced by Spain and Africa, began to develop.1 During this time, Cuba was host to performances of zarzuela and opera (crucial to the development of Cuban song), and concert music became increasingly popular as composer Manuel Saumell (1817–1870) began writing the first examples of Cuban art music.2 By the second half of the nineteenth century, composer Ignacio Cervantes (1847–1905) was incorporating Cuban rhythmic elements into larger art forms.3 The early twentieth century brought a revolutionary interest in Cuba ’s African roots, leading to Afrocubanismo and the new voice of Cuban nationalism.4 In 1923, the young revolutionaries formed a group composed of poets, musicians, and artists. The movement, led by Amadeo Roldán (1900–1939) and Alejandro García Caturla (1906–1940), was called the Grupo Minorista. Roldán and Caturla explored the incorporation of Afro-Cuban instruments and rhythms into large forms and in combination with Impressionistic and neoclassical elements. Caturla especially was able to master the juxtaposition of Afro-Cubanism with various mestizo folk elements, including Creole folklore, to create a unique style of his own.5 There was great political turmoil in Cuba at the turn of the century , including a U.S. military occupation, but in the first half of the twentieth century, Cuban music began to make an impression on the outside world.6 It was during this period that Ernesto Lecuona (1895– 1963), composer of the famous “La comparsa,” brought one of the first Latin orchestras to the United States. For the first time, people in North cuba 149 America and Western Europe heard Cuban sounds. This had tremendous implications for the rise of professional popular music and jazz. “La comparsa” was considered revolutionary when it premiered in 1912, due to the fantastic incorporation of Cuban elements. Lecuona’s famous song “Malagueña” debuted at the Roxy Theatre in New York City in 1927. Both songs exist in almost any possible arrangement of instruments , in addition to the voice and piano versions included in this catalog.7 José Ardévol Gimbernat (1911–1981) was the leading composer of the 1930s and 1940s. A prolific composer, he first chose a neoclassical style of composition but later turned to more experimental atonal and twelve-tone methods. Still in search of a more solid foundation for Cuban music, he started a “Cuban school” of composers known as the Grupo de Renovación Musical. Among his contemporaries were Gisela Hernández (1912–1971), who was a member of the Grupo, and Joaquín María Nin-Culmell (1908–2004).8 The next generation of composers includes Ardévol’s pupils Hilario González (1920–1999) and Argeliers León (1918–), who stayed with Afro-Cubanism. Composers Juan Blanco (1920–), Aurelio de la Vega (1925–), Carlos Fariñas (1934–2002), Julián Orbón (1925–1991), Leo Brouwer (1939–), and Tania León (1943–) exhibit a diversity of compositional styles and their works encompass many areas of composition, including film scores and electroacoustic music.9 Composers listed on The Living Composers Project with songs on their works list include Sergio Barroso (1946–), Irina Escalante Chernova (1977–), Orlando Jacinto García (1954–), Eduardo Morales Caso (1969–), Mónica O’Reilly-Viamontes (1975–), and José María Vitier (1954–).10 a guide to the latin ­american art song repertoire 150 Ardévol Gimbernat, José, 1911–1986 7.1, ¡Ay señora, mi vecina!, 1960, Nicolás Guillén, F4–A5, High, —, SMP, —, + Avilés, Danilo, 1948– 7.2, Tres poemas minimos 7.2a, I. Brizna, pequeño tallo, —, —, —, —, —, EMC, — 7.2b, II. Brisa que apenas mueve, —, —, —, —, —, EMC, — 7.2c, III. Punto de luz, suspenso lampo, —, —, —, —, —, EMC, — Barroso, Sergio, 1946– 7.3, El ángel desengañado, 1963, Rafael Alberti, —, Alto, —, —, LCP, — 7.4, Grietas, 1965, Xiomara Funes, —, Soprano, —, —, LCP, — 7.5, Tres canciones azules, 1963, Rafael Alberti, —, Soprano, —, —, LCP, — 7.6, Tres canciones grises, 1963, Federico García Lorca, —, Alto, —, —, LCP, — Escalante Chernova, Irina, 1977– 7.7, Tres canciones, —, —, —, —, —, —, LCP, — García, Orlando Jacinto, 1954– 7.8, Ascending from the abyss, 2004, —, —, Mezzo, Mezzo and tape (CD), —, LCP, — 7.9, Canción (para mi niño), 1990, —, —, Soprano or mezzo, —, PEN, LCP, The Art Song in Latin America, + 7.10, Music for Nada, 1990, —, —, Soprano, Soprano and tape (or CD), —, LCP, — 7.11, Sitio...