Luis Alberti
Encyclopedia
Luis Alberti was a Dominican Merengue
musician, arranger, conductor, and author of significant popular songs such as Compadre Pedro Juan and many others performed and recorded by noted interpreters with diverse backgrounds.
, he descended from a family where the musician office was not strange. His great-grandfather, Juan Bautista Alfonseca, composed the first Dominican national anthem; his mother, María Mieses, was a piano professor. At the age of seven, Alberti played the cymbal
s in the municipal band of his hometown before moving with his family to Santa Cruz de Mao
, where he received formal violin
training and started a professional career. Also here he met and married Gilma Tio. After that, the young musician went to Santiago de los Caballeros
and attended several courses of violin perfectioning. He later accompanied silent films in theatres and played with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Santo Domingo in 1932, year of its foundation.
In 1936, Alberti led a highly original Merengue jazz band
that often emphasized advanced harmonies and lyrics over the Merengue típico, known like perico ripiao, and played by the usual performing group of folk merengue (accordion
, tambora and güira
). Alberti gave the merengue a greater urban appearance, and he took it to the high society ballrooms.
Alberti composed popular songs as Luna sobre el Jaragua, Tu no podrás olvidar, Estampas criollas and Compadre Pedro Juan, which became an international hit and has been recorded by dozens of performers, including Billo's Caracas Boys
, Xavier Cugat
, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Porfi Jiménez
, Dámaso Pérez Prado
, Wilfrido Vargas
, Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño
, and Alberto Naranjo & El Trabuco Venezolano
.
In addition, Alberti wrote a Método de tambora y güira, a collection of infantile songs, and a work on Música, músicos y orquestas bailables dominicanas that stood out during the first half of the 20th century.
Alberti died in Santiago de los Caballeros at the age of 69.
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
musician, arranger, conductor, and author of significant popular songs such as Compadre Pedro Juan and many others performed and recorded by noted interpreters with diverse backgrounds.
Career
Born Luis Felipe Alberti Mieses in La Vega, Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, he descended from a family where the musician office was not strange. His great-grandfather, Juan Bautista Alfonseca, composed the first Dominican national anthem; his mother, María Mieses, was a piano professor. At the age of seven, Alberti played the cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s in the municipal band of his hometown before moving with his family to Santa Cruz de Mao
Santa Cruz de Mao
The Dominican city of Santa Cruz de Mao, or simply Mao, is the head municipality of the Valverde province, in the northwest of the country....
, where he received formal violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
training and started a professional career. Also here he met and married Gilma Tio. After that, the young musician went to Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
and attended several courses of violin perfectioning. He later accompanied silent films in theatres and played with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Santo Domingo in 1932, year of its foundation.
In 1936, Alberti led a highly original Merengue jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
that often emphasized advanced harmonies and lyrics over the Merengue típico, known like perico ripiao, and played by the usual performing group of folk merengue (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, tambora and güira
Güira
A güira is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic, generally used in merengue, bachata, and its subgenres, that sounds like a maraca or hi-hat but in fact is a sheet of metal—in practice, often from a five gallon oil can—evenly perforated with a nail, shaped into a cylinder or...
). Alberti gave the merengue a greater urban appearance, and he took it to the high society ballrooms.
Alberti composed popular songs as Luna sobre el Jaragua, Tu no podrás olvidar, Estampas criollas and Compadre Pedro Juan, which became an international hit and has been recorded by dozens of performers, including Billo's Caracas Boys
Billo Frómeta
Billo Frómeta was a Dominican Republic orchestra conductor, arranger and composer who lived and worked most of his life in Venezuela, where he is remembered.- Early career :...
, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Porfi Jiménez
Porfi Jiménez
Porfirio Antonio Jiménez Núñez was a Dominican-born Venezuelan Latin music composer, arranger, and bandleader. A native of Hato Mayor Province, he played professionally under the name Porfi Jiménez....
, Dámaso Pérez Prado
Perez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
, Wilfrido Vargas
Wilfrido Vargas
Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez was born in Altamira, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.He was surrounded by musical influences; namely, his father Ramón, an accordionist and guitarist, and his mother Bienvenida, a flute player and guitarist...
, Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño
Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño
Angel Viloria y su Conjunto Típico Cibaeño was a merengue band performing in the US Latin community in the 1950s. It was the first band to enjoy major success in popularizing merengue music outside...
, and Alberto Naranjo & El Trabuco Venezolano
El Trabuco Venezolano Vol. I
El Trabuco Venezolano - Vol. 1 is a Vinyl LP by Venezuelan musician Alberto Naranjo, originally released in 1977 and partially reedited in two separate CD albums titled El Trabuco Venezolano 1977 - 1984 Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 released in 1995...
.
In addition, Alberti wrote a Método de tambora y güira, a collection of infantile songs, and a work on Música, músicos y orquestas bailables dominicanas that stood out during the first half of the 20th century.
Alberti died in Santiago de los Caballeros at the age of 69.
Sources
- Gómez Sotolongo, Antonio – Los Cien Músicos del Siglo. Santo Domingo: Editora Cañabrava, c2000. 241 p. LC 00-416410.