Zenón Rolón (25 June 1856 – 13 May 1902) was an

Afro Argentine Afro-Argentines are people in Argentina of primarily Sub-Saharan African descent. The Afro-Argentine population is the result of people being brought over during the transatlantic slave trade during the centuries of Spanish domination in the regi ...

musician and composer. Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, he composed approximately 80 works including

opera 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 librett ...

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

zarzuela () 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 ...

s and sacred music. Rolón also founded a music publishing company which published numerous works by contemporary Argentine composers. Many of his manuscripts are now held by the Instituto Nacional de Estudios de Teatro, in Buenos Aires, and by the Museo Histórico de Morón, the city where he died at the age of 45.

Biography

Rolón was born in

to an Afro Argentine family and first studied music in his native city with Alfredo Quiroga, a fellow Afro Argentine and organist of the (Church of Our Lady of Mercy). In 1873, when he was only 17 years old, he went to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

for further study and remained there until 1879. In 1877 he wrote (''Two Words to my Caste Brothers''), a political pamphlet on the role of Afro Argentines in wider Argentine culture. When it was published in , an Afro Argentine newspaper in Buenos Aires, he was severely criticised, but opinion changed in his favour upon his return from Italy. Once back in Buenos Aires, he continued to study music, this time with

Basilio Basili Basilio Basili (21 March 1804 – 1895) was an Italian tenor and composer. Basili was born in Macerata. In 1827 he moved to Madrid, where he debuted on 14 September at the Teatro de La Cruz singing ''Otello'' by Rossini. He moved permanently to ...

, and composed a funeral march in honor of José de San Martín (Argentina's national hero). Rolón himself conducted its premiere performance when San Martín's remains were repatriated to Argentina in 1880. Rolón married María Quiroga, the sister of his first teacher, and had two children, and ( Daphnis and Chloe). In the meantime, his musical career began to thrive. In addition to his composing, he also conducted regular concerts at the and the in Buenos Aires (beginning in 1880 and continuing until 1900). In 1881 he founded a music publishing company, Rolón y Oca, where he published many works by contemporary Argentine composers, and in 1885 he founded a social club for Afro Argentines. Two years later, he was appointed Professor of Music by Concejo Nacional de Educación. Amongst his students were Justin Clérice, Antonio Restano, Prudencio R. DenÍs, and Enrique García Velloso. Rolón composed about eighty works during his lifetime, including ''Symphony'' (1879); the

s (1885), (''The Enchanted Castle'') (1887), and (''Nannetta's Stratagem'') (1887); the

s (date unknown) and (1899); the

s ''Chin Yonk'' (1895), (''The Rehearsal of a Creole Opera'') (1899), and (''An Improvised Joke'') (1900); and the

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s, (''Star of Italy'') (1891) and (''Farewell to the Virgin'') (1900). He also composed numerous

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

es,

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

s, marches, and barcarolles (several of which were published in Florence during his time there). His sacred music included

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s, music for

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

(1893), (1901 o 1902), and a '' Kyrie'' for three voices (1902), which was probably his last composition. Rolón died in

Morón, Buenos Aires Morón () is a city in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires, capital of the Morón ''partido'', located in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, at . Located 20 km (13 mi) west of Downtown Buenos Aires, Morón is easily reac ...

on 13 May 1902 shortly before his 46th birthday and was buried in the Cementerio de La Recoleta in Buenos Aires.de Estrada (1979) p. 153. Many of his manuscripts were later donated by his children to the Museo Histórico de Morón. There are also some of his works at the Instituto Nacional de Estudios de Teatro, in Buenos Aires.

Notes and references

Sources

*Baker, Theodore (1900/2008
"Clérice, Justin"
in ''A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians''. Read Books. . *Casares, Emilio, López-Calo, José, ''et al.'' (eds.) (1999). "Denis, Prudencio" in , Volume 4. Madrid: . (in Spanish). * Cirio, Norberto Pablo (2009)

Buenos Aires: Teseo. (in Spanish). *Cortés, Eladio and Barrea-Marlys, Mirta (2003). "García Velloso, Enrique" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American Theater''. Westport CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. . *Crétel, Bernard (2008
"Justin Clérice"
originally published in ''Opérette'' n° 119 (in French). * de Estrada, Marcos (1979)
''Argentinos de origen africano''
Buenos Aires: Universidad de Buenos Aires (in Spanish). * Gesualdo, Vicente (1961). . Buenos Aires: Beta (in Spanish). *Petriella, Dionisio and Sosa Miatello, Sara (eds.) (1976)
"Restano, Juan Bautista"
in . Buenos Aires: (in Spanish). ''Parts of this article were translated from

Zenón Rolón Zenón Rolón (25 June 1856 – 13 May 1902) was an Afro Argentine musician and composer. Born in Buenos Aires, he composed approximately 80 works including operas, operettas, zarzuelas and sacred music. Rolón also founded a music publishing compa ...

on the Spanish Wikipedia where the following further sources were given:'' *Andrews, George Reid (1989). . Buenos Aires: (in Spanish). Also available in English as ''The Afro-Argentines of Buenos Aires, 1800-1900'', University of Wisconsin Press, 1980. * García Acevedo, Mario (2002). "Rolón, Zenón" in . Madrid: . Volume 9, p. 352 (in Spanish). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolon, Zenon Afro-Argentine musicians Argentine composers 1856 births 1902 deaths Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery