Dominican Republic on Music Theory Print

Johnny Pacheco

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Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New York salsa scene in the 1960s and 1970s as the founder and musical director of Fania Records. Pacheco was one of the leading exponents of pachanga, a blend of Cuban rhythms and Dominican merengue in the late 1950s. He popularized the use of the term “salsa” and established the Fania All-Stars to showcase the leading artists of the genre, which propelled him to worldwide fame and had an important role in the evolution of Latin music. Pacheco was a nine-time Grammy nominee and was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005. Early life and family Juan Pablo Pacheco Knipping was born on 25 March 1935 in Santiago de los Caballeros, a city in the Dominican Republic. He inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarías Pacheco, who was the leader and clarinetist of the Orquesta Santa Cecilia. One of the leading Dominican big bands of the 1930s, the Orquesta was the first to record Luis Alb

Juan Francisco García (composer)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Juan Francisco García (born June 16, 1892 - November 18, 1974) was a Dominican merengue composer. He was one of several merengue musicians who sought to promote the genre in the early 20th century, along with Juan Espínola and Julio Alberto Hernández. Garcia was an educated musician who brought merengue to the upper-class of the country. Biography Juan Francisco García was born on June 16, 1892, in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. From an early age García had an excellent musical ear and a knack for performing various musical instruments. He studied music theory with Maestro José García Oviedo and was later self-taught, he learned to play the cello and piano. The study method of Fetís was Garcia’s main guide in the art of composition, which he mastered and from which created an extensive and valuable catalog of works of various genres. His works are also permeated by the Dominican folklore, which he developed to a very high degree in works like the String Quartet No.1, which he composed in 1922 and premiered in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1929; and quisqueyana Symphony, completed in 1935 and was released on March 21, 1941, by the Symphony Orchestra of Santo Domingo at the

Luichy Guzman

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Luis Alberto Guzmán (; born 22 July 1974) is a Dominican composer and singer-songwriter. He has composed the music for the films Quiero ser fiel, Ladrones and Veneno: Primera caída – El relámpago de Jack, for which he won the Premio La Silla in 2018. In 2009, Guzman received an award for producing the stage musical Les Misérables from the Asociacion de Cronistas de Arte de Santo Domingo. Early life and family Luis Alberto Guzmán was born on 22 July 1974 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Josefina (née Peña) and Luis Guzmán Molina a musician. As a young child, he played the keyboard at home but never had piano lessons. His father is a legendary dominican rocker, and with his help and the help of his aunt he learned to play the guitar at the age of 12. Luichy attended Colegio Dominicano De La Salle, graduating in 1993. Guzmán has two brothers, Luis Eduardo and Luis Omar, and one sister, Ayerine. Career Early career Guzman began his career playing guitar and singing in the late 1980s with the band Razon Vital. After that he went through various local bands either as a backup singer or as a guitar player. After a stint at being an actor in various musicals he released his first al

Luis Días (composer)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Luis Díaz Portorreal, best known as Luis Días (June 21, 1952 – December 8, 2009), was a Dominican Republic musician, composer and performer of popular music. He was immersed in the popular music and customs of Dominican folklore. In the artistic realms he is known as “El Terror” (“The Terror”), due to his particular performance style and his overtones. He was the author of lyrics and music that fused many diverse musical styles. In some circles, Luis was considered to be the Father of Dominican Rock, due to his contributions to alternative music and his experimentation with Dominican rhythms blended with rock guitar patterns. In his fusions, Luis accomplished fusions of rock, reggae, jazz and blues with more than 40 ethnic rhythms from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, such as merengue, bachata, and mangulina, among many others. Biography The composer, guitarist and singer named Luis Díaz Portorreal was born in Bonao, Dominican Republic, on June 21, 1952. Since childhood, he felt a direct impulse to become a musician, given that his father was a Tres player, (an instrument similar to the guitar used in rural Dominican towns), and his mother was a singer of Salves. Lively melodies a

Ninón Lapeiretta de Brouwer

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ninón Lapeiretta Pichardo de Brouwer (January 4, 1907 – September 22, 1989), also called Ninón Lapeiretta de Brouwer, was a composer and pianist from the Dominican Republic. She is known for her works for various instruments including piano, wind ensemble, full orchestra and voice. She sometimes utilized national Dominican music as a starting point for her work. Early life She was born Ninón Lapeiretta Pichardo in Santo Domingo, daughter of Natalia Pichardo Gómez and Alesandro Lepeiretta, an immigrant from France. As a child she studied piano. Career Her earliest works were more traditional canciones, criollas, and dances. In 1940 she began to study under Enrique Casal Chapí, the director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (OSN) in the Dominican Republic. Lapeiretta de Brouwer continued to compose pieces, expanding to ballets and works for orchestras and ensembles. As director, Casal Chapí often championed native composers and performed their works with the symphony, and Lapeiretta de Brouwer earned exposure both in the Dominican Republic and abroad. The OSN under Casal Chapí premiered Lapeiretta de Brouwer’s work Dos Caprichos for wind ensemble in 1942, as well as her orchestral p

Teodora Ginés

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Teodora Ginés (1530–1598) was a Dominican musician and composer that played in Santiago de Cuba cathedral orchestra. She is credited as the creator of the song titled “Son de la Má Teodora” the oldest son montuno. Life Ginés was formerly a slave, born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, but was freed. Along with her sister, Micaela, she emigrated to Cuba, where they were both engaged at the orchestra at the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba: Micaela as a violinist, and Teodora playing the Bandola. Teodora is credited with the authorship of the song " Son de la Má Teodora", circa 1562. This song was transcribed by the Cuban musician and composer Laureano Fuentes Matons, in his book “The Arts in Santiago de Cuba” published in 1893. Matons identified “Son de la Má Teodora” as the first Son in Cuban history, which was later confirmed by the Cuban essayist, and musicologist Alejo Carpentier. References External links *

Wilfrido Vargas

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wilfrido Radamés Vargas Martínez (; born 24 April 1949) is a Dominican musician, composer, arranger and band leader. He was surrounded by musical influences; namely, his father Ramón, an accordionist and guitarist, and his mother Bienvenida, a flute player and guitarist. Vargas began his musical studies early, attending the Municipal Academy of Music beginning at age 10. In 1976, Vargas and his band, Wilfrido Vargas y Sus Beduinos, performed at the Madison Square Garden alongside Los Hijos del Rey. In 1978, he released the song El Barbarazo which helped catapult his popularity in Latin America. It was also his first international hit. Alongside many Latin music artists, he performed during the 1979 music festival Havana Jam with the Fania All-Stars. 1980s During the 1980s, he formed and directed many successful merengue groups including Las Chicas Del Can, The New York Band and Altamira Banda Show. He had international commercial success with songs such as , , and . Vargas appeared in the 1989 film . 1990s He was nominated in 1991 for the 33rd Grammy Awards in the Best Tropical Latin Performance for his album Animation. In 1993, he was decorated by the Dominican president Joaquín B