Antonio María Romeu
Encyclopedia
Antonio María Romeu Marrero (Jibacoa, Cuba, 11 September 1876 – Havana
18 January 1955) was a Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader
. His orchestra was Cuba's leading charanga
for over thirty years, specializing in the danzón
.
as the standard instrumental line-up for the danzón. Initially called charangas francesas (though they have nothing to do with France), they were 'invented' at the start of the 20th century. The basic idea was to pitch the tone of the orchestra higher and brighter than the típica, by removing the brass, replacing the clarinet with a flute and replacing the kettle drums with a new invention, the pailas criollas, now called timbales
. The Orquesta Cervantes is the earliest known charanga to have included a piano.
Romeu founded his own orchestra in 1910. The initial line-up for Orchestra Romeu was: Romeu (piano); Feliciano Facenda (violin); Alfredo Valdés (flute); Rafael Calazán (double bass); Remigio Valdés (timbal); Juan de la Merced (güiro): quite a small group. By the 1920s the orchestra included Francisco Delabart (flute); Augusto Valdés (clarinet); Juan Quevedo (violin); Aurelio Valdés and Félix Vásquez (güiro); Antonio Ma. Romeu (son, violin); Pedro Hernández (violin); Dihigo (trumpet); Regueira (trombone) and José Antonio Díaz (flute). In the 1930s the orchestra added even more musicians, and became for a while a 'big band'. In wartime, with a diminution of tourism, the band reduced its size.
The danzón had been, since its beginning in the 1870s, an instrumental genre, but by 1927 bands began to include a singer. The Romeu band had, initially, Fernando Collazo, and in the 1930s Barbarito Diez. From the beginning, and throughout his career, Romeu employed musicians of all racial types, as Cuban bands had done since at least 1800.
When Romeu died, the orchestra was led for a while by his son, also Antonio María Romeu, then by Barbarito Diez. It still played the traditional danzón, but now was called the Orquesta de Barbarito Diez.
), Mares y arenas (Rosendo Ruiz
), Mercedes (Manuel Corona
), Aquella boca (Eusebio Delfín
), La cleptomanía (Manuel Luna
) show his prowess as an arranger.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
18 January 1955) was a Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
. His orchestra was Cuba's leading charanga
Charanga
Charanga is a term given to traditional ensembles of Cuban dance music. They made Cuban dance music popular in the 1940s and their music consisted of heavily son-influenced material, performed on European instruments such as violin and flute by a Charanga orchestra....
for over thirty years, specializing in the danzón
Danzón
Danzón is the official dance of Cuba. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and is still beloved in Puerto Rico where Verdeluz, a modern danzón by Puerto Rican composer Antonio Cabán Vale is considered the unofficial national anthem...
.
Life & work
Romeu studied music in 1884 with Joaquín Mariano Martínez, and practiced the piano at a local church by the beach in Jibacoa. At twelve he played at his first dance, and composed his first work. In 1899 he moved to Havana and played in cafés. He was invited to play in the Orquesta Cervantes, one of several charangas founded at the beginning of the 1900s. Charangas supplanted the típicasOrquesta típica
Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin-American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size in some well-defined instrumental set-up.- Argentina :In Argentina, a típica is a tango orchestra...
as the standard instrumental line-up for the danzón. Initially called charangas francesas (though they have nothing to do with France), they were 'invented' at the start of the 20th century. The basic idea was to pitch the tone of the orchestra higher and brighter than the típica, by removing the brass, replacing the clarinet with a flute and replacing the kettle drums with a new invention, the pailas criollas, now called timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
. The Orquesta Cervantes is the earliest known charanga to have included a piano.
Romeu founded his own orchestra in 1910. The initial line-up for Orchestra Romeu was: Romeu (piano); Feliciano Facenda (violin); Alfredo Valdés (flute); Rafael Calazán (double bass); Remigio Valdés (timbal); Juan de la Merced (güiro): quite a small group. By the 1920s the orchestra included Francisco Delabart (flute); Augusto Valdés (clarinet); Juan Quevedo (violin); Aurelio Valdés and Félix Vásquez (güiro); Antonio Ma. Romeu (son, violin); Pedro Hernández (violin); Dihigo (trumpet); Regueira (trombone) and José Antonio Díaz (flute). In the 1930s the orchestra added even more musicians, and became for a while a 'big band'. In wartime, with a diminution of tourism, the band reduced its size.
When Romeu died, the orchestra was led for a while by his son, also Antonio María Romeu, then by Barbarito Diez. It still played the traditional danzón, but now was called the Orquesta de Barbarito Diez.
Compositions
Romeu wrote over 500 danzones, many of which have been adapted for other Cuban rhythms; some were completely original, others were adaptations of existing works. His most famous work was Tres lindas cubanas, which was an arrangement of a much older work. Other famous danzones were Siglo XX, La danza do los milliones, El servicio obligartorio, Cinta azul, El mago de las teclas, Jíbacoa, and La flauta magica (in collaboration with Alfredo Brito). Arrangements of Guarina and Perla marina (Sindo GaraySindo Garay
Sindo Garay was born Antonio Gumersindo Garay Garcia . He was the first, the smallest, and perhaps the longest-lived, of the trova artists taught by Pepe Sánchez. Garay was one of the four greats of the trova. Sindo Garay was Spanish & Arawkan descendant...
), Mares y arenas (Rosendo Ruiz
Rosendo Ruiz
Rosendo Ruiz Suárez was one of the founders of the trova movement in Cuban music. He was originally a tailor, who became a singer, guitarist and composer...
), Mercedes (Manuel Corona
Manuel Corona
Manuel Corona Raimundo was a Cuban trova musician, and a long-term professional rival of Sindo Garay....
), Aquella boca (Eusebio Delfín
Eusebio Delfín
Eusebio Delfín Figueroa was a Cuban trovador musician: a composer, guitarist and singer. He came from a middle-class family, and was trained as an accountant in Cienfuegos, where his family had moved...
), La cleptomanía (Manuel Luna
Manuel Luna
-Selected filmography:* Carmen, la de Triana * ¡A mí la legión! * Locura de amor * Dawn of America -External links:...
) show his prowess as an arranger.
External links
- Discography of Antonio María Romeu on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)
See also
- Early Cuban bandsEarly Cuban bandsEarly Cuban bands played popular music for dances and theatres during the period 1780–1930. During this period Cuban music became creolized, and its European and African origins gradually changed to become genuinely Cuban. Instrumentation and music continually developed during this period...