Alberto Villalón Morales
Alberto Villalón Morales (Santiago de Cuba, 7 June 1882 – Havana, 16 July 1955) was one of the greatest musicians in the Cuban trova style. He was the only one of the 'four greats' of the trova to come from a well-to-do family. Villalón and his sister América studied guitar with Pepe Sánchez, the father of the trova movement. Later, he studied classical guitar to achieve a really excellent technique. He composed his first canciones and boleros at fourteen, and moved to Havana in 1900. In 1907 he recorded on Edison cylinders. In 1908 he formed the Cuarteto Villalón with Adolfo Colombo (tenor), Claudio García (baritone), Emilio Reinoso (mandolin), and Alberto Villalón (guitar). Colombo and García were regular members of the Teatro Alhambra company; Colombo was the most recorded singer of the age. A difference between Villalón and the other early trovadors was in his guitar technique. With his training he preferred picking (punteado) instead of strumming (rasgueado), which had been the main technique previously. This gave him a wider range of harmonic possibilities and a characteristic style. He had a second career in 1927 when he became a founding member of the Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro. Alberto brought into the septet Juan de la Cruz and Benvenido León, who had been playing with him in a trio. The addition of the first really great sonero, Abelardo Barroso (1905 – 1972), made the Nacional the best group in Cuba for its time. Villalón's career, then, connected the world of trova with the world of son which became central to Cuba's popular music for the rest of the century. |
Birth and Death Data: Born June 7, 1882 (Santiago de Cuba), Died July 16, 1955
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1906 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 276-300 of 331 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W96648 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Coco y mái : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96649 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Dónde vas con el robo : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96650 | 10-in. | July 1928 | El alba cubana : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96651 | 10-in. | July 1928 | A cuerda limpia : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96652 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Acordes de bongó : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96657 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Morir Amando : Bolero | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96658 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Corazón de mármol : Bolero | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96659 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Amor oculto : Canción | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96660 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Por matar el hastío : Capricho cubano | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96661 | 10-in. | July 1928 | María Teresa : Criolla | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96662 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Las flores : Bambuco | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96663 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Yo qué haré : Bolero | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96664 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Tu no sabes amar : Romanza | Cruz y León | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96665 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Cuba y sus palmares : Punto guajiro | Juan De la Cruz ; Tomasita Nuñez | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96666 | 10-in. | July 1928 | ¡Pepillito!... | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96667 | 10-in. | July 1928 | No me des con la goma : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96668 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Los viudos quieres ternar : Son | Sexteto Nacional | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W96670 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Simbolismo : Criolla | Juan De la Cruz ; Tomasita Nuñez | Vocal duet, with guitar | instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
Columbia | W96674 | 10-in. | July 1928 | Amar en secreto | Francisco González Solares ; Alberto Villalón Morales | Trés with guitar | composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W97169 | 10-in. | May 1929 | Inconsciencia : Bolero | María Cervantes | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Columbia | W97200 | 10-in. | June 1929 | Penas y flores : Bolero | María Cervantes ; Tomasita Nuñez | Vocal duet with piano | composer | |
Brunswick | 11398-11400 | 10-in. | 9/24/1923 | Juramento sagrado | Villalon Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Brunswick | 11401-11403 | 10-in. | 9/24/1923 | Pesares y alegria | Villalon Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Brunswick | 11404-11405 | 10-in. | 9/24/1923 | Querete simpre | Villalon Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Brunswick | 11406-11407 | 10-in. | 9/24/1923 | Rita | Villalon Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Villalón Morales, Alberto," accessed October 11, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.
Villalón Morales, Alberto. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.
"Villalón Morales, Alberto." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 11 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Alberto Villalón
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Villalón Morales, Alberto, 1882-1955 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006079346
Wikidata: Alberto Villalón - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2831849
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