Tu!!

Born into an artistic and musical family, Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes (1874-1944) was a disciple of Ignacio Cervantes and studied in Havana’s Hubert de Blanck Conservatory. He graduated with a degree in civil law in 1911 and attended the International Music Congress in Rome as part of the Cuban delegation. Sánchez was director of the first typically Cuban concerts in the Nacional theatre in 1922. Further travels brought him into contact with prominent artists and politicians around the globe. He was Cuba’s representative at festivals in Barcelona (1929) and New York (1939), and toward the end of his life Sánchez received numerous awards for his contributions to music. He worked tirelessly to promote the history of indigenous music in Cuba. Unfortunately, in his patriotic zeal, he tended to incorrectly understate the role played by Africans. Still, he will long be remembered for his many publications in music history. As a composer Sanchez lives on by virtue of his idiomatic and popular habanera “Tu!!” among many other songs.

(c) Jason Stell