Domingo Cruz (3 July 1864 – 20 October 1934), a.k.a., "Cocolía", was a late 19th-century Puerto Rican musician, and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of the Ponce Firefighters' Band (now the Ponce Municipal Band).

Early years

Domingo Cruz was born in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...

on 3 July 1864.

Professional career

Cocolía (Spanish for little crab) played the

saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...

with "La Lira Ponceña" orchestra (by 1919 also known as the ''Ponce Symphony Orchestra'') under the baton of Ponce's renowned composer

Juan Morel Campos Juan Morel Campos (16 May 1857 – 12 May 1896), sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juan Morell Campos'', was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level. He composed over ...

. Famous for his danceable tunes, Cocolía was also a music teacher and director of the Firefighters' Band, the ''

Banda Municipal de Ponce The Ponce Municipal Band (Spanish: ''Banda Municipal de Ponce''), also known as ''Centenaria Banda Municipal de Ponce'', is the band of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The band is the oldest continuously-performing band in the Caribbean ...

''. Upon the death of Juan Morel Campos, Cruz became the director of the Ponce Municipal Band. He directed it from 1896 until 1916.

Death

Cocolia died in 1934 in the Province of

Alicante, Spain Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-larges ...

Legacy

The city of Ponce recognized his work with a statue. For many years, Cocolia's statue stood in front of the Instituto de Musica Juan Morel Campos, which took over the space previously occupied by the downtown Ponce fire station, next to

Teatro La Perla Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was name ...

. It currently (2012) stands at

Plaza Las Delicias Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are locate ...

. Cocolia is also recognized at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. In Ponce, there is also a park named after him at the intersection of Calle Intendente Ramirez, Calle Mayor, and Calle Tricoche streets.Luis Fortuño Janeiro. "Album Historico de Ponce (1692–1963)". 1963. Pages 97–98. Imprenta Fortuño. Ponce, Puerto Rico.

References

External links