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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 1-25 of 331 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-10916 10-in. 9/5/1911 La japonesa Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10917 10-in. 9/5/1911 Helado y tamales Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10918 10-in. 9/5/1911 Los carniceros Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10919 10-in. 9/5/1911 Lloraba un corazón Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10920 10-in. 9/5/1911 La reina de la canela Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10921 10-in. 9/5/1911 La traición de mi Chiquita Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-10922 10-in. 9/5/1911 Otilia Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-10923 10-in. 9/5/1911 La noche Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor C-10924 12-in. 9/5/1911 Linda Clara Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor C-10925 12-in. 9/5/1911 Punto a tu reja Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor C-10926 12-in. 9/5/1911 El soldado Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor C-10927 12-in. 9/5/1911 Mis anhelos Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-12459 10-in. 10/3/1912 El bombín de Barreto Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12460 10-in. 10/3/1912 La luz de Oriente Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12461 10-in. 10/3/1912 Cristina Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12462 10-in. 10/3/1912 El hoyo de la muela Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12463 10-in. 10/3/1912 A Martí Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12464 10-in. 10/3/1912 Amarte siempre Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12466 10-in. 10/3/1912 Regino por la isla Regino López Recitation, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12467 10-in. 10/3/1912 Tu linda boca Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12468 10-in. 10/3/1912 El Maine Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12476 10-in. 10/4/1912 Casita criolla Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12480 10-in. 10/4/1912 Celos Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-12481 10-in. 10/4/1912 Eres mía Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-12482 10-in. 10/4/1912 El pitanco Regino y Colombo Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 1-25 of 331 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Villalón Morales, Alberto," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

Villalón Morales, Alberto. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

"Villalón Morales, Alberto." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130

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