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Early Cuban Bands
Early Cuban bands played popular music for dances and theatres during the period 1780–1930. During this period Cuban music became creolized, and its European and African origins gradually changed to become genuinely Cuban. Instrumentation and music continually developed during this period. The information listed here is in date order, and comes from whatever records survive to the present day. Típicas For about a hundred years, from early in the nineteenth century to about 1920, the main orchestral format for popular music was the '' típica'' based on wind instruments, usually about 8–10 members. At the same time, there were also itinerant musicians, duos and trios: for them, see ''trova''. Orquesta Concha de Oro Founded early in the 19th century by the black violinist and double bass player Claudio Brindis de Salas, it played the dance music of the epoch at the balls of the island's aristocracy: contradanzas, minuets, rigadoons, quadrilles, lancers. It was basica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orquesta Típica
Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size (about 8 to 12 musicians) in some well-defined instrumental set-up. Argentina and Uruguay In Argentina and Uruguay, the term orquesta típica is associated with tango music. The orquesta típica usually comprises a string section (three or four violins, and sometimes viola and cello), three or more bandoneons, and a rhythm section (piano and double bass). An orquesta típica is an expanded version of a sexteto típico, which includes 2 bandoneons, 2 violins, double bass and piano. Cuba In Cuba, a típica is an ensemble mainly composed of wind instruments, which was very popular in the mid-19th century. One of the earliest, Orquesta Flor de Cuba, had the following make-up: cornet, trombone, figle (ophicleide), two clarinets, two violins, double bass, kettle drum, and güiro. The ophic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones use a telescoping slide mechanism to alter the Pitch (music), pitch instead of the brass instrument valve, valves used by other brass instruments. The valve trombone is an exception, using three valves similar to those on a trumpet, and the superbone has valves and a slide. The word "trombone" derives from Italian ''tromba'' (trumpet) and ''-one'' (a suffix meaning "large"), so the name means "large trumpet". The trombone has a predominantly cylindrical bore like the trumpet, in contrast to the more conical brass instruments like the cornet, the euphonium, and the French horn. The most frequently encountered trombones are the tenor trombone and bass trombone. These are treated as trans ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miguel Faílde
Miguel Faílde Pérez (23 December 1852, in Guacamaro, Matanzas – 26 December 1921) was a Cuban musician and bandleader. He was the official originator of the danzón, composer of the first danzón, Las alturas de Simpson, and the founder of the Orquesta Faílde. Faílde's father was a Galician immigrant, and his mother a ''parda'' (dark mulata). He was first taught music by his father, who was a trombone player, and at ten played cornet in the ''Banda de Bomberos'' (firemen) ''de Matanzas''. Later he learnt harmony and composition under a French tutor, Federico Peclier. He also learnt the viola and double bass. Faílde was one of many musicians who actively conspired against the Spanish colonial rule; his life included the time of the Cuban War of Independence. His orchestra was highly successful, though his major achievements were the creation of the danzón and the compositions he wrote, many of which have been adapted since for other rhythms. The danzón was, in his own ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero. Matanzas is called the ''City of Bridges'', for the seventeen bridges that cross the three rivers that traverse the city (Rio Yumuri, San Juan, and Canimar). For this reason it was referred to as the "Venice of Cuba." It was also called "La Atenas de Cuba" ("The Athens of Cuba") for its poets. Matanzas is known as the birthplace of the music and dance traditions danzón and rumba. History Matanzas was founded in 1693 as ''San Carlos y San Severino de Matanzas''. This followed a royal decree ("''real cédula''") issued on September 25, 1690, which decreed that the bay and port of Matanzas be settled by 30 families from the Canary Islands. Matanzas was one of the regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pablo Valenzuela
José Pablo Valenzuela García (2 March 1859 – 25 December 1926) was a leading Cuban cornetist, composer and bandleader. García was born in San Antonio de los Baños. After taking his first lessons in music under his father Lucas, he moved to Havana. There he first joined the orchestra of Manuel Espinosa, before joining '' La Flor de Cuba'', the leading band of the day. This had come under the direction of his brother Raimundo after the death of its founder, and at some stage the name was changed to ''Orquesta Valenzuela''. Raimundo died in his fifties in 1905, after which the band was under Pablo's direction. Now it was possible for Cuban bands to record their music, and the ''Orquesta Valenzuela'' was one of the earliest to take advantage of the opportunity: they recorded about 120 numbers. In 1906 there were 40 recordings on Edison cylinders; in 1909 23 numbers for Columbia Records, and 56 numbers with Victor Records.Arhoolie/Folklyric CD 7032 ''The Cuban danzón: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raimundo Valenzuela
Raimundo Valenzuela de Leon (23 January 1848 in San Antonio de los Baños – 27 April 1905 in Havana) was a leading Cuban trombonist, composer and bandleader. Life & career Valenzuela studied music under his father, Lucas: he learnt piano, viola, percussion, but was first employed by '' Orquesta Flor de Cuba'' as a trombonist. He was playing for ''La Flor'' in the Alhambra theatre in Havana in 1869, when a group of Spanish anti-revolutionary volunteers attacked the theatre and its patrons. That night the theatre had been performing anti-colonial works for the benefit of rebels declaring Cuban independence, in what became known as the Ten Years' War. He established his band from the remains of Flor de Cuba after the death of its leader, Juan de Dios Alfonso. Like its forebear, the orchestra was a típica in format, based mostly on wind instruments. It was, like ''Flor de Cuba'', the most popular típica of its day. Valenzuela's bands played everywhere in Havana. They play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carlos Manuel De Céspedes
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (18 April 1819, Bayamo, Spanish Cuba – 27 February 1874, San Lorenzo, Spanish Cuba) was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owner in Cuba, freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War (1868–1878). This was the first of three wars of independence, the third of which, the Cuban War of Independence led to the end of Spanish rule in 1898 and Cuba's independence in 1902. Because of his actions which led to the eventual independence of Cuba, he is known there as the "Father of the Fatherland". Ten Years' War Céspedes was a landowner and lawyer in eastern Cuba, near Bayamo, who purchased '' La Demajagua'', an estate with a sugar plantation, in 1844 after returning from Spain. On 10 October 1868, he made the ''Grito de Yara'' (Cry of Yara), declaring Cuban independence, which began the Ten Years' War. That ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ten Years' War
The Ten Years' War ( es, Guerra de los Diez Años; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On 10 October 1868, sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed independence, beginning the conflict. This was the first of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Little War (1879–1880) and the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898). The final three months of the last conflict escalated with United States involvement, leading to the Spanish–American War. Background Slavery Cuban business owners demanded fundamental social and economic reforms from Spain, which ruled the colony. Lax enforcement of the slave trade ban had resulted in a dramatic increase in imports of Africans, estimated at 90,000 slaves from 1856 to 1860. This occurred despite a strong abolitionist m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flor De Cuba
Flor (Spanish and Portuguese for ''flower'') in winemaking, is a film of yeast on the surface of wine, important in the manufacture of some styles of sherry. The flor is formed naturally under certain winemaking conditions, from indigenous yeasts found in the region of Andalucía in southern Spain. Normally in winemaking, it is essential to keep young wines away from exposure to air by sealing them in airtight barrels, to avoid contamination by bacteria and yeasts that tend to spoil it. However, in the manufacture of sherries, the slightly porous oak barrels are deliberately filled only about five-sixths full with the young wine, leaving "the space of two fists" empty to allow the flor yeast to take form and the bung is not completely sealed. The flor favors cooler climates and higher humidity, so the sherries produced in the coastal Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María have a thicker cap of flor than those produced inland in Jerez. The yeast gives the resulting sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Güiro
The güiro () is a Puerto Rican percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro is commonly used in Puerto Rican, Cuban and other forms of Latin American music, and plays a key role in the typical rhythm section of important genres like son, trova and salsa. Playing the güiro usually requires both long and short sounds, made by scraping up and down in long or short strokes. The güiro, like the maracas, is often played by a singer. It is closely related to the Cuban guayo, Dominican güira, and Haitian graj which are made of metal. Other instruments similar to the güiro are the Colombian guacharaca, the Brazilian reco-reco, the quijada (cow jawbone) and the frottoir (French) or fwotwa (French Creole) ( washboard). Etymology In the Arawakan language, a language of the indigenous people of Latin America and sprea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kettle Drum
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. Thus timpani are an example of kettle drums, also known as vessel drums and semispherical drums, whose body is similar to a section of a sphere whose cut conforms the head. Most modern timpani are ''pedal timpani'' and can be tuned quickly and accurately to specific pitches by skilled players through the use of a movable foot-pedal. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a ''timpani stick'' or ''timpani mallet''. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of ensembles, including concert bands, marching bands, orchestras, and even in some rock bands. ''Timpani'' is an Italian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar in structure to the cello, it has four, although occasionally five, strings. The bass is a standard member of the orchestra's string section, along with violins, viola, and cello, ''The Orchestra: A User's Manual'' , Andrew Hugill with the Philharmonia Orchestra as well as the concert band, and is featured in Double bass concerto, concertos, solo, and chamber music in European classical music, Western classical music.Alfred Planyavsky [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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