Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba [Encyclopedic Dictionary of Music in Cuba] by
RADAMÉS GIRO
Review by: PETER MANUEL
Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana, Vol. 30, No. 2 (FALL /
WINTER 2009), pp. 254-256
Published by: University of Texas Press
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254 ■ REVIEWS
Fagoaga); the conceptionand mixed receptionof Nicholas Slonimsky's
1945 MusicofLatinAmerica(Ros-Fábregas);perspectiveson theroleof cit-
ies per se as locales formusic in LatinAmerica(Molina Martinez);a set of
earlyBaroquecompositionsin the Cancionero Musicalde GasparFernandes,
compiled in New in
Spain (Mexico) 1609-1616(Tello);themusicperformed
at three officialceremonies in Lima in the latter1700s, includingensem-
bles of indigenousperformers(Molina); spatialaspects of cathedralmu-
sic in Mexico (López Guzman); 16th-century churchmusic in New Spain
(Roldan Herencia); a neglectedcollectionof Mexican sacred villancicos
(MarínLópez); a 1764 setofMexicanmaitines,themostimportant genreof
contemporary sacredchoralcompositionsin thatregion(Russell);further
socio-musicalperspectives on thiscorpus(Miranda);Venezuelancomposer
J.AntonioCaro de Boesi (Coifman);the presenceof Afro- Latin-inspired
sonsonetes and cumbés in two 18th-century tonadillasescénicas (light
music theaterworks)(Fernándes-Cortés); the representation of music in
a 19th-century Mexicanwomen's magazine (VargasLiñán); a 1915singing
manual of Buenos Aires(MoralesVillar);Cuban popularmusic since 1959
(Eli Rodriguez);and lastly,organologicalperspectiveson a collectionof
highlandBolivianinstruments (Borras).
The volumeis attractively and professionallyproduced,withmanyillus-
trationsand musicalexamples.
PETER MANUEL
JohnJayCollegeand theCUNY GraduateCenter
Radames giro. Diccionario enciclopedicode la mùsica en Cuba
Dictionaryof Music in Cuba]. Havana: EditorialLetras
[Encyclopedic
Cubanas,2007. 4 vols. 292, 299, 278, 311pp. Illustrations.
Clothand papereditions.
Despite the exigenciesof the "Special Period,"soon to be completingits
second dismal decade, Cuban musicologistshave continuedto produce
valuablepublicationson theirnation'smusic. Particularly outstandingis
Radamés Giro's Diccionarioenciclopédicode la músicaen Cuba, a magnum
opus offourvolumesand some 800,000 words.Giro(bornin 1940) is one
of Cuba's leadingmusicologists.Aside fromthe Diccionario, he is the au-
thoroffivemonographsand an editedvolumeon Cuban music as well as
a bookon BraziliancomposerHeitorVilla-Lobos.
A precursorofGiro'sencyclopediais Helio Orovio'ssmallerDiccionario
de la músicacubana,publishedin an ephemeral1981edition,whichcon-
spicuouslyelidedmentionofexpatriates, and a revisedand moreinclusive
1992 edition.
Another relatedopus is the vast,10-volumeDiccionariode la
musicaespañolae hispanoamericana publishedin Madridin 2002, which,
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Reviews ■ 255
costingover$1500,is foundonlyin largeruniversity libraries.This latter
work,thoughencyclopedic in its way, covers Cuban music in less depth
thanGiro'svolume.
Giro's Diccionariois a masterlycompilationof data on the broad spec-
trumof Cuban music, coveringfolkmusic, 19th-and 20th-century art
and salon music, Afro-Cubanreligiousmusic, musicologi and modern
commercialpopularmusic fromestablishedlocal styleslike mambo and
chachacháto recentimportedgenreslikerockand rap,whichare cultivated
today.Entriesrangefromshortnoteson miscellaneousmusiciansand en-
titiesto expansiveessays of severalpages on such topicsas contradanza,
son, salsa, timba,trova,and the guitar.Also includedare severaldozen il-
lustrations, includingsmallreproductions ofone-pagescores.
The book is appropriately freefromanypoliticalor ideologicalorienta-
tion;thus,forexample,unlikesome earlierCuban music publicationsthat
conspicuouslyavoided mentioningdefectors,Giro's volume, reflecting
someliberalization ofCuban official culturalpolicy,dispassionately includes
entrieson all importantmusicians,whetherresidentsof Cuba or abroad,
whilefocusing(as thebook'stitlesuggests)on theiractivities in Cuba itself.
Its ideologicallyneutralcoveragethus extendsfrompoliticallysupportive
nuevatrovasinger-songwriters to outspokenly anti-Castroite exilessuch as
saxophonistPaquito d' Riveraand musicologist Cristobal Diaz Ayala.
Like manyotherscholarlybooks producedin Cuba in recentdecades,
Giro'sDiccionariois scarcelyavailablein Cuba itself,much less elsewhere.
The workwas producedin limitedpaper and clotheditionsin Havana.
Books on music are eagerlysoughtout by foreignvisitors,so the fateof
thiseditionhas been thesame as similarworks,in thatmostofthecopies
appear to have been internally stolenbeforetheycould reach the shelves
of the state-run bookstores.As recentvisitorsto Cuba have informedme,
a would-bepurchaserenquiringabout the book at such a storeor at the
press'sofficewilleitherbe turnedawayor,witha winkand a smile,be of-
feredan "under-the-table" copyforaround35 dollars.Moreexpensivecop-
ies can be found, ifat all,onlyin the"used" (orstolen)bookstallsin a plaza
in Old Havana. Outside Cuba thebook seems to be essentiallyunavailable
and mayfailto find its wayeitherto university librariesor to the shelves
of its many hundreds of potential The
readers. poor disseminationofthis
workparallels thatof other fine scholarlypublicationsin theCaribbean,as
well as books on Cuban music publishedoutsidetheregion.Hence Giro's
entryon composer-musicologist NatalioGalán failsto mentionthatwriter's
and
brilliant magisterial Cuba y sones,publishedin an obscureSpanish
sus
edition. Interested readers can onlybe encouragedto exertthemselvesto
acquire Giro'svaluable work.
PETER MANUEL
JohnJayCollegeand theCUNY GraduateCenter
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256 ■ REVIEWS
WorksCited
Diccionariode la Musica Española e Hispanoamericana,Madrid: SGAE. Orovio,
Helio 1981.Diccionariode la músicacubana e hispanoamericana.
Havana: Edito-
rialLetrasCubanas
Galán,Natalio.1993. Cuba ysussones.Valencia:pre-textos.
Caceros,Radicio.1999.
Alberto Hernández. JesúsMaría Sanwmá:An AmerícanTwentieth-
Century Pianist.Lanham,MD: Scarecrow Press.2008. 338pp.
Forwellovera century theCaribbean islandofPuertoRicohasbeensend-
ingmusiciansoutintothebroaderworldto study, to makecareers, or to
returnto theislandas performers and teachers. The firstwas probably
youngpianistManuelGregorio Tavárez(1842-1883), whowassenttoParis
attheageof15,withsomehelpfromtheSpanishgovernment, tostudyat
theConservatoire. AstheroutetoEuropeopenedforPuertoRicanstudents
andtherigors oftravelgradually eased,Tavárezwasfollowed byan increas-
ingflowoftalented islandyouththroughout therestofthe19thcentury.
WhenPuertoRicocameunderU.S. control in 1898as a resultofthe
Spanish- American War,directchannelsofcommunication and discourse
withEuropevirtually driedup andnewoneshadtobe developed - butnow
withtheColossusoftheNorthand duringa periodofstressful cultural,
economic, andpolitical As
adjustment. part of a new stream of traffic
be-
tweenSan JuanandtheU.S., PuertoRicanmusiciansbegantoappearas
students andperformers on thecontinent, mainlyin NewYorkCitybutin
othercenters as well.
Manyaspectsof PuertoRicanlifebecamecompletely integrated into
U.S. lifeduringthe20thcentury. As a resultofthisprocess,and as the
UnitedStates(andPuertoRicowithit)becamea factor intheinternational
flowofmusicalforces, a floweringdiaspora ofsuccessful island-bornmu-
sicians- singers,instrumentalists, conductors, and teachers - has taken
place,withthemusiciansoccupying postsfromSouthAfricato Russia,
withmanysettling in Europeorremaining in theUnitedStatesfollowing
professionalstudies there.
Occupying an honored placeinthesefar-reaching 20th-century develop-
mentswas pianistJesúsMaríaSanromá.Sanromáwasbornin theisland
townofCarolinain 1902,duringthefirst yearsofthepost-war political
andeconomic trauma.His parents wereimmigrant Spaniards, buttheboy
becamea U.S. citizenbyan actoftheU.S. Congressin 1917(alongwith
all otherpersonsbornin PuertoRico).The lad showedsignsofmusical
precocity,andhisparentssawtoitthathe received pianoinstruction, with
José Sanromá, hisfather, later the
managing 12-year-old boy'sdebut and an
islandtourwhileseekingfinancial supportfor a move abroad. Sanromá' s
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