César Pérez Sentenat (1896-1973) was a Cuban pianist and composer. He has been recognized as an important professor of classical piano in Cuba.

Professional background

César Pérez Sentenat began to study

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 keyboa ...

in 1913 with

Hubert de Blanck Hubertus Christiaan (Hubert) de Blanck (June 14, 1856November 28, 1932Orovio HelioCuban Music from A to Z Duke University Press, 2003, ; p. 28) was a Dutch-born professor, pianist, and composer who spent the better part of his life in Cuba. Earl ...

, Rafaela Serrano and Antonio Saavedra, and music theory with José Molina. In 1922 he travelled to Paris, where he studied with Joaquín Nin Castellanos. He also studied musical pedagogy and musicology at the Schola Cantorum. Upon his return to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

he studied contemporary harmony with Pedro Sanjuán and Amadeo Roldán, between 1924 and 1926. At a later time he travelled to the US, where he continued studying Children Musical Pedagogy with John M. Williams from 1939 to 1940. In 1953 he travelled to Madrid to take courses on Musical Folklore at the Madrid Conservatory, with professor Manuel García.

Professor

In 1922, Pérez Sentenat was appointed as professor of piano and harmony at the National Conservatory, and in 1940 he served as associate professor at the Sherwood Music School in Chicago. Sentenat served as professor at the Conservatorio Municipal de Música, and in 1931 he was appointed as director of that educational institution. Also in 1931, he founded the Escuela Normal de Música along with composer Amadeo Roldán, where he expanded the courses and organized a night school. He also participated in the foundation of the Conservatorio Internacional de Música, directed by María Jones de Castro, in collaboration with Caridad Benítez, where they implemented the first musical Pre-school and College in Cuba.: César Pérez Sentenat: http://culturacubana.net/9-12-3-cesar-perez-sentenat/ In 1945 he was designated as Provincial Inspector of Music in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, and in 1948 as General Inspector. In 1961 he was appointed as professor of piano and director of the Guillermo M. Tomás Conservatory in Guanabacoa, and in 1965 he served as General Music Director of the National Culture Council and President of the Musical Education Reform Commission. His students included renowned musicians such as Solomon Mikowsky,

Magaly Ruiz Doris Magaly Ruiz Lastres (born 1941) is a Cuban musician and composer. Her compositions have been performed at a number of international music festivals. Life Magaly Ruiz was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, in 1941. In 1981, she graduated with a deg ...

Juan Piñera Juan Piñera (born 1949 in Havana) is a Cuban musician who during his long career has covered a wide professional spectrum as performer, composer, professor and musical adviser. Studies Juan Piñera took his first piano lessons from his sister Ni ...

and

Horacio Gutiérrez Horacio Gutiérrez (born 1948) is a Cuban-American classical pianist known for his performances of works in the Romantic Repertoire. Early life and education When Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba in 1959, the family decided to leave the count ...

Pianist

In 1933, Pérez Sentenat performed Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s Noche en los Jardines de España (Night in the Spanish gardens) and Concert for Clavicembalo and Orchestra with the Habana Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Amadeo Roldán. César Pérez Sentenat offered his last piano concert at the Palacio de Bellas Artes of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, in 1972. He died on May 4, 1973.

Composer

Cesar Pérez Sentenat also dedicated himself to musical composition, though his activity in this field was overshadowed by his pedagogical work. As a composer he didn’t produce a large catalogue of works and mainly focused on a didactical approach and a structural simplicity. In regard to style, he adhered to nationalism with an accent on rural elements.

Other activities

In 1922, Sentenat participated, along with

Gonzalo Roig Gonzalo Roig Lobo (Havana, 20 July 1890 – Havana, 13 June 1970) was a Cuban composer, pianist, violinist and musical director. He was a pioneer of the symphonic movement in Cuba. His most popular works are the zarzuela ''Cecilia Valdés'' an ...

and

Ernesto Lecuona Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1896 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become standards of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as ...

, in the founding of the Symphony Orchestra of Havana, with which he collaborated as a pianist and Secretary General.Blogspot: César Pérez Sentenat; http://sentenat.blogspot.com/ In 1942, he joined Amadeo Roldán to create the Philharmonic Orchestra of Havana.

Musical compositions

Pieces for piano: * El jardín de Ismaelillo (Didactical pieces), 1931 * La pequeña Rebambaramba, 1932 * Transcription for piano of Danza de los congos from Amadeo Roldán, 1945 * Transcription for four hands of the Six two part inventions of Juan Sebastián Bach, 1950. * Dos estampas españolas, 1954 * Carnaval humorístico, 1955 * Suite cubana en sol menor, 1956 * Preludio en todos los tonos, 1957 * Cuatro estampas para un pionero, 1962 Pieces for voice and piano: * Martianas, 1931 * Tres canciones campesinas, 1931-1957 * La tierra colorá... de siembra, pregón, 1947 * Tríptico de villancicos cubanos, 1949 * Aguinaldo del negro cristiano, 1952 * Cuatro estampas para un pinero, for singer and piano

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Cesar 1896 births 1973 deaths 20th-century composers 20th-century classical pianists Cuban classical pianists