Eduardo Brito (January 22, 1906 – January 5, 1946) was a Dominican

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

singer. He was world-renowned for his voice and took to the stage in many countries performing

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

and

zarzuelas () 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 o ...

. The main hall of the Dominican National Theater is named after Brito.

Early years

Brito was born Eleuterio Brito in Puerto Plata,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. He came from a poor family and during his childhood he worked as a shoe-shiner and a candyman. As a young adult, his musical gifts became apparent and Brito in 1926 became acquainted with

Julio Alberto Hernández Julio Alberto Hernández (September 27, 1900 – April 2, 1999) was a Dominican composer. He specialized in folk-music based compositions. Biography He was born in Santiago de los Caballeros and is the nephew of P.T. Camejo. In addition to st ...

, who helped mold Brito into the great baritone singer that he is remembered as.

Musical career

Brito's first encounter with the Dominican media was in 1927, where he sang at a banquet in honor of several key political figures of the time. By 1928 he was married to Rosa Elena Bobadilla, a vedette, and touring with "Los Internacionales" in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

. In 1929, Brito along with band members from a new group called "Grupo Dominicano," headed to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to record with the famous Eduardo Vigil y Robles. While in New York, Brito along with his wife performed at the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

, RKO theaters and Loew's State Theater, alongside Eduardo Casino the father of the famous

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

. In 1932, Brito and his wife were part of a company that was organized by

Eliseo Grenet Eliseo Grenet Sánchez (12 June 1893 in Havana – 4 December 1950) was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Dicciona ...

, which toured

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. This was the beginning of Brito's international acclaim that would carry him to perform in the greatest venues of many countries.

Legacy

The main hall of the Dominican National Theateris named after Brito. A

metro station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

in Santo Domingo on Line 2 is named after Brito, and is between the

Ercilia Pepín Ercilia Pepín (December 7, 1886 – June 14, 1939) was a teacher, feminist, and equal rights activist in the Dominican Republic. She dedicated herself to the welfare and preservation of the Dominican Republic, Dominican nation through education. ...

and that dedicated to Manuel de Jesus Abreau Galvan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brito, Eduardo 20th-century Dominican Republic male singers 1906 births 1946 deaths People from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 20th-century male opera singers Operatic baritones