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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 301-325 of 331 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 11408-11409 10-in. 9/24/1923 Esperanza Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11410-11411 10-in. 9/24/1923 Punto carretero Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11412-11413 10-in. 9/25/1923 March carbali Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11414-11415 10-in. 9/25/1923 El esclavo Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11416-11417 10-in. 9/25/1923 Tus lindos ojos Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11418-11419 10-in. 9/25/1923 Pensamiento Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11420-11421 10-in. 9/25/1923 Amparo Villalon Trio Orchestra instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11422-11423 10-in. 9/25/1923 Eso es un cuento Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11442-11444 10-in. 9/26/1923 Camaron apaga la luz Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11445-11446 10-in. 9/26/1923 Al son de la Loma Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11447-11448 10-in. 9/26/1923 Si viene la China me voy Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11449-11450 10-in. 9/26/1923 Amor immenso Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11451-11452 10-in. 9/26/1923 Dime que has hecho Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11453-11454 10-in. 9/26/1923 Que te day una Paliza Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11481-11483 10-in. 9/29/1923 Flores negras Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11484-11485 10-in. 9/29/1923 Neurosis Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11486-11487 10-in. 9/29/1923 Adios mujer Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11488-11489 10-in. 9/29/1923 Los pobres de la tierra Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11490-11491 10-in. 9/29/1923 El fantasma del suicidio Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11492-11493 10-in. 9/29/1923 La enredadera Pedro Martínez Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11494-11495 10-in. 9/29/1923 Voy á partir Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11496-11497 10-in. 9/29/1923 Salvame dios mio Pedro Martínez Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11557-11558 10-in. 10/8/1923 Neurosis Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11559-11560 10-in. 10/8/1923 Adios mujer Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
Brunswick 11561-11562 10-in. 10/8/1923 Pensamiento Villalon Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 301-325 of 331 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Villalón Morales, Alberto," accessed May 5, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

Villalón Morales, Alberto. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

"Villalón Morales, Alberto." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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