Arturo Somohano Portela (September 1, 1910 – March 23, 1977) was a musical composer and director of the San Juan Symphony Orchestra, which is now named after him.

Early years

Somohano, born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

, had always been musically inclined and as a young child had learned to play the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

. He loved classical music and when he learned musical composition and harmony at the Fransician Chapel, he felt inspired to write music in a classical style.Musica de Puerto Rico
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San Juan Symphony Orchestra

Upon the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Somohano entertained

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

troops by playing the piano and directing concerts at various military bases. His composition, "Canciones de las Americas" (Songs of the Americas), became an iconic anthem in the Army. After the war, Somohano returned to Puerto Rico, where he founded and directed the San Juan Symphony Orchestra and the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra. During this period, he also spearheaded the reconstruction of the Tapia Theater in San Juan, which was in a state of disrepair. By 1958, as Somohano's reputation as a conductor grew, so did the overseas demand for his services as an orchestra conductor. He did two tours which included presentations in Spain, Germany, and the United States. Somohano celebrated his 100th concert as director in the 1960s in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, Spain. He was granted the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

by the

Spanish Parliament The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meet ...

and was named Honorary Conductor of the

Madrid Symphony Orchestra Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. On January 13, 1969, Somohano was sworn in as an Assembly Member of the City of San Juan.

Published the works

Somohano published the works of

danza Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dan ...

composers

Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Manuel Gregorio Tavárez Ropero (November 16, 1843 – July 1, 1883), was Puerto Rico's classical and danza composer. He has been called "The Chopin of America". Early years Tavárez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of a French fath ...

and

Juan Morel Campos Juan Morel Campos (16 May 1857 – 12 May 1896), sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juan Morell Campos'', was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level. He composed over ...

. He also wrote the forwards for three musical reviews and the musical accompaniment for five theatrical works with the collaboration of

Manuel Méndez Ballester Manuel Méndez Ballester (4 August 1909 – 24 January 2002), was a Puerto Rican writer who also worked in journalism, radio broadcasting, television and teaching. Life and career José Manuel Epifanio Méndez Ballester, better known as M ...

. Amongst his compositions are: *"Recuerdos de Ponce" (Memories of Ponce), *"Si Tu Supieras" (If You Only Knew), *"Palma y Olivo" (Palms and Olives), *"Esclavo Moderno" (Modern Slave) and *"Vagando". He also recorded many other compositions, including: *"Danzas de Puerto Rico" (Danzas of Puerto Rico), *"Aquí España" (Over Here, Spain) and *"En Mi Viejo San Juan" (In My Old San Juan).

Legacy

Arturo Somohano died in

Hato Rey, Puerto Rico Hato Rey is a former barrio located in the northwest part of the dissolved municipality of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. It now stretches over three Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrios, of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San J ...

on March 23, 1977. After his death, the San Juan Symphony Orchestra was renamed The Arturo Somohano Symphony Orchestra in his honor. The

Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico The Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music ( es, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico) is a public conservatory in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto RicoSOBRE EL CONSERVATORIO DE MÚSICA DE PUERTO RICO: Información General d ...

annually awards its most outstanding student with the ''Arturo Somohano Medal'' for Excellence in International Musical Achievement. San Juan has also honored Somohano's memory by naming a school and a plaza after him.''

References

External links