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 A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

in 1913 with Hubert de Blanck, 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 (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Amadeo Roldán Amadeo Roldán y Gardes (Paris, 12 June 1900 – Havana, 7 March 1939) was a Cuban composer and violinist. Roldán was born in Paris to a Cuban mulatta and a Spanish father. It was his mother, the pianist Albertina Gardes, who initiated her ch ...

, 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 Amadeo Roldán y Gardes (Paris, 12 June 1900 – Havana, 7 March 1939) was a Cuban composer and violinist. Roldán was born in Paris to a Cuban mulatta and a Spanish father. It was his mother, the pianist Albertina Gardes, who initiated her ch ...

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

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.

Pianist

In 1933, Pérez Sentenat performed Spanish composer

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

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

and

Ernesto Lecuona Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1895 – 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

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 Cuban composers 20th-century classical pianists Cuban classical pianists