Eduardo Brito (January 22, 1906 – January 5, 1946) was a Dominican

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

singer. He was world-renowned for his voice and took to the stage in many countries performing

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

and

zarzuelas () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

. The main hall of the Dominican National Theater is named after Brito.

Early years

Brito was born Eleuterio Brito in Puerto Plata,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. He came from a poor family and during his childhood he worked as a shoe-shiner and a candyman. As a young adult, his musical gifts became apparent and Brito in 1926 became acquainted with

Julio Alberto Hernández Julio Alberto Hernández (September 27, 1900 – April 2, 1999) was a Dominican composer. He specialized in folk-music based compositions. Biography He was born in Santiago de los Caballeros and is the nephew of P.T. Camejo. In addition to st ...

, who helped mold Brito into the great baritone singer that he is remembered as.

Musical career

Brito's first encounter with the Dominican media was in 1927, where he sang at a banquet in honor of several key political figures of the time. By 1928 he was married to Rosa Elena Bobadilla, a vedette, and touring with "Los Internacionales" in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

. In 1929, Brito along with band members from a new group called "Grupo Dominicano," headed to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to record with the famous Eduardo Vigil y Robles. While in New York, Brito along with his wife performed at the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...

, RKO theaters and Loew's State Theater, alongside Eduardo Casino the father of the famous

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

. In 1932, Brito and his wife were part of a company that was organized by

Eliseo Grenet Eliseo Grenet Sánchez (12 June 1893 in Havana – 4 December 1950) was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionar ...

, which toured

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. This was the beginning of Brito's international acclaim that would carry him to perform in the greatest venues of many countries.

Legacy

The main hall of the Dominican National Theater and a

metro station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...

in Santo Domingo are named after Brito.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brito, Eduardo 20th-century Dominican Republic male singers 1906 births 1946 deaths People from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 20th-century male opera singers Operatic baritones