The habanera Tú was in Alejo Carpentier`s opinion, the first hit of Cuban music. Born from Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes` pen on 1892, received lyrics two years after by the hands of Fernando, his brother. On 1899, Chalía Herrera recorded it for the first time in cylindric system. Chalía was, by the way, the first one recording in Latin America and the third one around the entire world.

From our colonial epoch -as V.G.R Guyún and Rosendo Ruíz Quevedo wrote- only three pieces has achieved immortality: La Bayamesa (1851, Castillo, Fornaris and Céspedes); La Bella Cubana (1853, White) and the habanera Tú.

The habanera Tú has a wide trajectory of versions, plagiaries and debates. Even the Spanish colonialist changed the lyrics to his favor. There was also a fox-trot version under the title of Kytty, as chronicler Eduardo Robreño related.

Song history is worthy to be told. In a ceremony on 1892, Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes decided to unveil a composition at a mansion from the most picturesque Cuban farmer, Las Delicias (well-known as Los Monos), property of the wealthy Abreu family. It's a sort of rare castle in which there were about two hundred monkeys, gorilla, orangutans and many species terrifying dancer Isadora Duncán in her visit to Havana City.

This residency was cradle for some soirees to dissimulate patriotic ideas. Ignacio Cervantes attended these meetings together with some other luminaries. Sánchez de Fuentes assisted as guest to feature his unpublished-untitled composition. It' s an excellent miniature, full of grace and charisma, containing the melodic alluring air coming from the favorites Italian operas, holding a tasteful Cuban tone rescued by this habanera for the country while entwining the vocal line melodic amplitude with the famous Iradier `s songs and other dances of the epoch's rhythm, as musicologist Hilario González described.

One of the guest in this meeting, Mr Kholy`s wife, called Renée Molina, famous due to her amazing beauty was astonished about the piece and asked Eduardo for its title. The young man stopped for a while doubting and suddenly decided to name it as Tú, honoring the Cuban beauty.

In Cuba, /beautiful island of burning sun, /under its blue sky, /adorable brunette girl, /among all flowers, /you are the queen.

When the song was in the air a Cuban taste floated all over the place. On 1895, the Cuban political immigrants changed its romantic lyrics (same as happened with La Bayamesa) and transformed it in a patriotic chant, as Zoila Lapique explained. The popular engraver José Guadalupe Posada, who made a Maceo effigy for the cover of the song, illustrated the Mexico-edited version.
On 1897, Doctor José A. Ramírez Céspedes wrote a new lyrics for Tú and it was sung during the independence wars: Cubans:/a voice thunders from the sky,/ to give us courage/ in the fearful struggle/ the wise patriot/ gloriously undertook./ Martí, your name will be revered/ when history/ could exhibit it./

Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes was born in Havana and died being 76 in Vedado and is one of the greatest luminaries at Cuban music, he represented his country as delegate in musical events obtaining different prizes. He also wrote various articles and books. His musicological thesis holds the colonialist and Euro-central concept, which has so deeply blurred the music in Latin America, but this is a topic for some other time.

As innovator and far-sighted in Cuban song, Sánchez de Fuentes offered a revolutionary and majestic creation, his habanera has a rare beauty, an ineffable serenity; capable to exhaust any praiseful motive. The habanera Tú is an unforgettable song, in its simply and splendorous reality.

Taken from Granma Internacional.

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