Manuel
Saumell (1817- 1870
Considered the precursor of Cuban Nationalism regarding to music,
this pianist, instrumentist and notable composer was born on Havana,
in 1817 and died on August 14, 1870, in the same city.
Having a poor extraction, he was self-taught until, being an adult,
was Juan Federico Edelmann's pupil on piano and Mauricio Pyke's on
Harmony, counterpart, fugue and instrumentation subjects. He was member
of cultural societies, which enforced his interest to reach all those
knowledges or tendencies that, further more, will be present in his
works and in some critics made to newspaper publications of the epoch
under the nickname of El Timbalero.
Within his catalogue, we can find Concert to Cello and Piano, Plegaria
for soprano voice and organ, Ave María for voice and orchestra,
Idilio for piano, violin and cello, Melopea based on verses from
the poet Francisco Blanchie and some paraphrases about Opera themes
of European composers.
He also had the intention to create a National Opera, having a
libretto in which the action would take place in Cuba, reflecting
elements of Cuban culture, project with no precedents in Latinamerica
that was frustrated due to sentimental reasons.
Despite these creations, he adquired its real trascendency as composer
with the Contradanzas for piano having two contrasting parts and
binary compasses, in which appear for the first time rythmic cells
of the Cuban Popular music listened at the XIX century: Claves,
Guajiras, Habaneras, Criollas...
Selection of Works:
La Tedezco, Los Ojos de Pepa, La Quejosita, Los Chismes de Guanabacoa,
among other works are good examples of a solid and elaborated creation,
in which the themes or melodic motives belong to Cuban music and
go far beyond the popular scene becoming creations presenting a
defined concert character.
See works of this author in Books
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