Claudio Brindis de Salas Garrido
Encyclopedia
Claudio Brindis de Salas Garrido (Claudio José Domingo Brindis de Salas Garrido, Havana
, 4 August 1852 – Buenos Aires
, 1 June 1911) was a Cuban concert violinist. His father was the violinist and bandleader, Claudio Brindis de Salas
. The son surpassed his father, and was a violinist of world renown. He studied under his father, and then with maestros José Redondo and the Belgian José Van der Gutch (who lived in Havana). In 1863 he first performed in public, in Havana, with Van der Gutch as accompanist. Ignacio Cervantes
also played at the same function.
In 1864 he toured with his father and his brother José del Rosario in the Cuban cities of Matanzas
, Cárdenas
, Cienfuegos
and Güines
; in 1869 to Veracruz
, México
. He went from México to Paris
, to study under Hubert Léonard
and Charles Dancla
, and gained entry to Conservatoire de Paris
, where he won first prize in 1871. He then toured Florence
, Turin
and Milan
, where he played at La Scala
. His tours in Europe brought great critical and public enthusiasm.
In 1875 he returned to the Americas, and was appointed director of the Conservatoire de Haiti. He played in Cuba in Havana (1878) and Santiago de Cuba
, then to Veracruz again and México City
, where he performed Mendelssohn
's Concerto for violin and orchestra. In later years he played in St Petersberg (1881), New York (1887), Barcelona
(1889), Santo Domingo
(1895), San Juan, Puerto Rico
), Port of Spain
, Trinidad and Tobago
(1996), Tenerife (1902), Ronda
, Spain (1911), and ended his career in Argentina.
Claudio composed a few works, but he was primarily a concert performer, and to judge from critical notices, one of the best in the world at that time. Carpentier called him "the most extraordinary of the black musicians of the nineteenth century... an unprecedented case in the musical history of the continent".
The French government made him a member of the Légion d'Honneur
, and gave him the title of Baron. In Buenos Aires
he was given a genuine Stradivarius
; when he stayed in Berlin
, he married a German woman, was appointed chamber musician to the Emperor, and became a German citizen. He died in 1911, now in poverty, from tuberculosis
in Buenos Aires. In 1930 his remains were transferred to Havana with great honours.
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...
, 4 August 1852 – Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, 1 June 1911) was a Cuban concert violinist. His father was the violinist and bandleader, Claudio Brindis de Salas
Claudio Brindis de Salas
Claudio Brindis de Salas Monte was a black violinist and double bass player who directed the most famous Cuban dance orchestra of his day. His band, the Concho de Oro , founded in the early 19th century, was the most popular band of its time...
. The son surpassed his father, and was a violinist of world renown. He studied under his father, and then with maestros José Redondo and the Belgian José Van der Gutch (who lived in Havana). In 1863 he first performed in public, in Havana, with Van der Gutch as accompanist. Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes Kawanagh was a Cuban virtuoso pianist and composer. He was influential in the creolization of Cuban music....
also played at the same function.
In 1864 he toured with his father and his brother José del Rosario in the Cuban cities of Matanzas
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
, Cárdenas
Cárdenas
Cárdenas is a surname generally of Spanish origin.FAMILY ORIGIN:The family name Cardenas is a local surname which came from the region of La Rioja, Spain...
, Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
and Güines
Güines
Güines is a municipality and city in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. It is located southeast of Havana, next to the Mayabeque River.- History :The city was founded in 1737 by the Spanish...
; in 1869 to Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, México
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He went from México to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, to study under Hubert Léonard
Hubert Léonard
Hubert Léonard was a famous Belgian violinist, born at Bellaire, Liège. His earliest preparatory training was given by Rouma, after which he entered the Paris Conservatory in 1836, where he studied for three years under Habeneck. In 1844 he started his extended tours which established his...
and Charles Dancla
Charles Dancla
Jean Baptiste Charles Dancla was a French violinist, composer and teacher.-Biography:...
, and gained entry to Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, where he won first prize in 1871. He then toured Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, where he played at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
. His tours in Europe brought great critical and public enthusiasm.
In 1875 he returned to the Americas, and was appointed director of the Conservatoire de Haiti. He played in Cuba in Havana (1878) and Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, then to Veracruz again and México City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where he performed Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
's Concerto for violin and orchestra. In later years he played in St Petersberg (1881), New York (1887), Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(1889), Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
(1895), San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
), Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
(1996), Tenerife (1902), Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, Spain (1911), and ended his career in Argentina.
Claudio composed a few works, but he was primarily a concert performer, and to judge from critical notices, one of the best in the world at that time. Carpentier called him "the most extraordinary of the black musicians of the nineteenth century... an unprecedented case in the musical history of the continent".
The French government made him a member of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and gave him the title of Baron. In Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
he was given a genuine Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
; when he stayed in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he married a German woman, was appointed chamber musician to the Emperor, and became a German citizen. He died in 1911, now in poverty, from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Buenos Aires. In 1930 his remains were transferred to Havana with great honours.