Ernesto Lecuona y Casado (; August 7, 1896 – November 29, 1963) was a Cuban composer and pianist, many of whose works have become

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

of the Latin, jazz and classical repertoires. His over 600 compositions include songs and zarzuelas as well as pieces for piano and symphonic orchestra. In the 1930s, he helped establish a popular band, the

Lecuona Cuban Boys The Lecuona Cuban Boys was a popular Cuban orchestra which toured the world for over forty years. The band was founded by Ernesto Lecuona, whose role was that of a patron-entrepreneur. He did not actually play with the band, but sometimes gave a p ...

, which showcased some of his most successful pieces and was later taken over by

Armando Oréfiche Armando Oréfiche (Havana, Cuba 5 June 1911 – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, December 2000) was a Cuban composer and pianist in the mid-20th century. Oréfiche was one of many artists who played with the Lecuona Cuban Boys between 1935 and 1938. ...

. In the 1950s, Lecuona recorded several LPs, including solo piano albums for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. He moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

after the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...

and died in

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in 1963.

Early years

Lecuona was born in

Guanabacoa Guanabacoa is a colonial township in eastern Havana, Cuba, and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) of the city. It is famous for its historical Santería and is home to the first African Cabildo in Havana. Guanabacoa was briefly the capital ...

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

, Cuba, Kingdom of Spain, to a Cuban mother and a Canarian father. There are inconsistencies surrounding his birthdate, with some sources indicating the year 1895, and others still giving the day as August 6. He started studying piano at the age of five, under the tuition of his sister Ernestina Lecuona, a famed composer in her own right. As a child prodigy, he composed his first song at the age of 11. He later studied at the Peyrellade Conservatoire under Antonio Saavedra and Joaquín Nin. Lecuona graduated from the National Conservatory of Havana with a Gold Medal for interpretation when he was 15 years old. He performed outside of Cuba at the

Aeolian Hall (New York) The Aeolian Building is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, at 29–33 West 42nd Street and 34 West 43rd Street, just north of Bryant Park. The 1912 building was the fourth headquarters of the Aeolian Company, which manufactur ...

in 1916. In 1918, he collaborated with Luis Casas Romero, Moisés Simons, Jaime Prats, Nilo Menéndez and Vicente Lanz in setting up a successful

player piano A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls, with more modern im ...

music roll factory in Cuba producing Cuban music and also copies from masters made by QRS in the US. The brand label was "Rollo Autógrafo".

Rise to fame

He first traveled to Spain in 1924 on a concert tour with violinist Marta de la Torre; his successful piano recitals in 1927 and 1928 at the

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...

in Paris coincided with a rise in interest in Cuban music. His popularity brought him to concert halls in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Lima in South America, as well as Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Madrid, and London in Europe, followed by more engagements in New York. ''María la O'', Lecuona's

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

, premiered in Havana on March 1, 1930. He was a prolific composer of songs and music for stage and film. He scored some of the film music for '' The Cuban Love Song'', '' Always in My Heart'', and '' One More Tomorrow''. The entire musical score of the film ''

Carnival in Costa Rica ''Carnival in Costa Rica'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Gregory Ratoff and written by Samuel Hoffenstein, John Larkin, and Elizabeth Reinhardt. It was released in Technicolor by Twentieth Century-Fox. Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen, ...

'' was penned by Lecuona. His works consisted of zarzuela, Afro-Cuban and Cuban rhythms, suites and many songs which are still famous. They include "

Siboney Siboney may refer to: Arts * ''Siboney'' (film), a Mexican-Cuban drama film * "Siboney" (song), a 1929 song by Ernesto Lecuona * ''Siboney'', a 1985 album by Slim Gaillard Places * Siboney, Cuba, a town in eastern Cuba * Siboney, Oklahoma, a ...

" ("Canto Siboney"), " Malagueña" and " The Breeze And I" ("Andalucía"). In 1942, his hit, "Always in my Heart" ("Siempre en mi Corazón") was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Song; however, it lost to " White Christmas". Lecuona was a master of the symphonic form and conducted the Ernesto Lecuona Symphonic Orchestra, employing soloists including Cuban pianist and composer Carmelina Delfín. The Orchestra performed in the Cuban Liberation Day Concert at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

on October 10, 1943. The concert included the world premiere of Lecuona's ''Black Rhapsody''. Lecuona gave help and the use of his name to the popular touring group, the

, though he did not play as a member of the band. He did sometimes play piano solos as the first item on the bill.

Final years and legacy

In 1960, thoroughly unhappy with Castro's new régime, Lecuona moved to

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

and lived on West Orient Street in

West Tampa West Tampa is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, United States. It was an independently incorporated city from 1895 until 1925, when it was annexed by Tampa. West Tampa is located west of the Hillsborough ...

with his relative, singer Esperanza Chediak. Lecuona lived his final years in the US, but while traveling in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

three years later, he died of a heart attack in the town of

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its ad ...

on November 29, 1963, where he was trying to recuperate from a lung ailment. He was interred at

Gate of Heaven Cemetery Gate of Heaven Cemetery, approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of New York City, was established in 1917 at 10 West Stevens Ave. in Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, as a Roman Catholic burial site. Among its famous residents i ...

in Hawthorne,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, but his will instructs that his remains be repatriated once the current régime runs its course. A great deal of Lecuona's music was first introduced to mass American audiences by

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

, a fellow Cuban and

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

's spouse. Lecuona's talent for composition has influenced the Latin American world in a way quite similar to

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

in the United States, in his case raising Cuban music to classical status. Ernesto and Ernestina's cousin Margarita Lecuona was another accomplished musician and composer. She was the author of the song "

Babalú "Babalú" is a Cuban popular afro song written by Margarita Lecuona, the cousin of composers Ernestina and Ernesto Lecuona. The song title is a reference to the Santería deity Babalú Ayé. Lyrics In the song's lyrics, originally written in S ...

", made popular in the Latin American world by

Miguelito Valdés Miguelito Valdés (September 6, 1912 – November 9, 1978), also known as Mr. Babalú, was a renowned Cuban singer. His performances were characterized by a strong voice and a particular sense of ''cubanismo''. Life Miguelito Valdés was born ...

, and in the United States by Desi Arnaz.

Selected compositions

For piano

* Ante El Escorial * Aragón * Aragonesa * San Francisco El Grande *

* Suite Andalucía ** Córdoba ** Andalucía ** Alhambra ** Gitanerías ** Guadalquivir ** Malagueña * Valencia Mora * Zambra Gitana

Waltz

* Apasionado * Crisantemo * La bemol * Maravilloso * Poético * Romántico * Si menor (Rococó) * Vals Azul

Others

* Afro-Cuban suite * Ahí viene el chino * Al fin te vi * Amorosa * Andar * Aquí está * Arabesque * Bell Flower * Benilde * Burlesca * Canto del guajiro * Cajita de música * Como arrullo de palmas * Como baila el muñeco * Dame tu amor * Danza de los Ñáñigos * Danza Lucumí * Diario de un niño * Ella y yo * ¡Échate pa'llá María! * El batey * El miriñaque * El sombrero de yarey * El tanguito de Mamá (también llamada A la Antigua) * En tres por cuatro * Eres tú el amor * Futurista * Gonzalo, ¡no bailes más! * Impromptu * La 32 * La primera en la frente * La Comparsa * La conga de medianoche * La habanera * La danza interrumpida * La mulata * La negra Lucumí * La Cardenense * Los Minstrels * Lola Cruz * Lola está de fiesta * Lloraba en sueños * Mazurka en glissando * Melancolía * Mientras yo comía maullaba el gato * Mis tristezas * María la O * Muneca de Cristal * Muñequita * Negra Mercé * Negrita * ¡No hables más! * No me olvides * No puedo contigo * Noche Azul * Orquídeas * Pensaba en ti * Polichinela * ¿Por qué te vas? * Preludio en la noche * ¡Que risa me da! Mi abuela bailaba así * Rapsodia Negra * Rosa, la china * Tú serás * Tres miniaturas * ¡Y la negra bailaba! * ¡Y sigue la lloviznita! * Yo soy así * Yumurí * Zapateo y guajira * Zenaida

References

External links

Songwriters Hall of FameThe Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation
* Villaverde, Christina
''Cinco Canciones con Versos de Juana de Ibarbourou: The Art Song Style Of Ernesto Lecuona''
(2011). Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations. Paper 5249.
Ernesto Lecuona recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lecuona, Ernesto 1896 births 1963 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century male musicians Composers for piano Cuban classical composers Cuban classical pianists Latin music composers Male classical composers Male classical pianists People from Havana Cuban people of Canarian descent Cuban expatriates in the United States Deaths from asthma Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)