Domingo Cruz (3 July 1864 – 20 October 1934), a.k.a., "Cocolía", was a late 19th-century
Puerto Rican musician, and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''Di ...
of the Ponce Firefighters' Band (now the
Ponce Municipal Band
The Ponce Municipal Band (Spanish: ''Banda Municipal de Ponce''), also known as ''Centenaria Banda Municipal de Ponce'', is the band of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The band is the oldest continuously-performing band in the Caribbean ...
).
Early years
Domingo Cruz was born in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
on 3 July 1864.
Professional career
Cocolía (Spanish for little crab) played the
saxhorn with "La Lira Ponceña" orchestra (by 1919 also known as the ''Ponce Symphony Orchestra'') under the baton of Ponce's renowned composer
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 ...
. Famous for his danceable tunes, Cocolía was also a music teacher and director of the Firefighters' Band, the ''
Banda Municipal de Ponce
The Ponce Municipal Band (Spanish: ''Banda Municipal de Ponce''), also known as ''Centenaria Banda Municipal de Ponce'', is the band of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The band is the oldest continuously-performing band in the Caribbean ...
''. Upon the death of Juan Morel Campos, Cruz became the director of the Ponce Municipal Band. He directed it from 1896 until 1916.
Death
Cocolia died in 1934 in the Province of
Alicante, Spain
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in the ...
.
Legacy
The city of Ponce recognized his work with a statue. For many years, Cocolia's statue stood in front of the
Instituto de Musica Juan Morel Campos, which took over the space previously occupied by the downtown Ponce fire station, next to
Teatro La Perla
Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was name ...
. It currently (2012) stands at
Plaza Las Delicias
Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza, ...
.
Cocolia is also recognized at the
Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.
In Ponce, there is also a park named after him at the intersection of Calle Intendente Ramirez, Calle Mayor, and Calle Tricoche streets.
[Luis Fortuño Janeiro. "Album Historico de Ponce (1692–1963)". 1963. Pages 97–98. Imprenta Fortuño. Ponce, Puerto Rico.]
See also
*
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 ...
*
Julio Alvarado Tricoche
Julio Alvarado Tricoche (1886–1970) was a Puerto Rican flutist, composer, and director of the Banda Municipal de Ponce for seventeen years.
Early years
Julio Alvarado Tricoche was born on 18 February 1886 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[Luis Osvaldo Pino Valdivieso
Luis Osvaldo Pino Valdivieso (1933–2003) was a Puerto Rican bombard player and director of the Banda Municipal de Ponce for twenty-three years.
Early years
Luis Osvaldo Pino Valdivieso was born on 14 November 1933 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Tra ...]
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
People from Ponce, Puerto Rico
This is a list of notable ''Ponceños'', people from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Listed here are people who were either born in Ponce or who were not born in Ponce, but who are or were longtime residents of the city – the so-called adopted sons and da ...
*
Escuela Libre de Música de Ponce
References
External links
Statue of Cocolia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Domingo
1934 deaths
1864 births
Musicians from Ponce
19th-century Puerto Rican musicians