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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 51-75 of 331 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-13799 10-in. 9/16/1913 ¿Por qué me besas? Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-13800 10-in. 9/16/1913 Celina Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-13801 10-in. 9/16/1913 La amelia Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor C-13813 12-in. 9/17/1913 Segundo Maceo reformado Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-13817 10-in. 9/17/1913 Ayes del alma Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-14885 10-in. 5/25/1914 Estrada palma Cruz y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Victor B-16551 10-in. 9/27/1915 Uno ocho veinte y uno Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16552 10-in. 9/27/1915 El chaufeur Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16553 10-in. 9/27/1915 Cruel sonrisa Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16554 10-in. 9/27/1915 El miñaroco Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16555 10-in. 9/27/1915 La voluntad suprema Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16556 10-in. 9/27/1915 El tálamo Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16557 10-in. 9/27/1915 La charada Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16558 10-in. 9/27/1915 La tutelar Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16559 10-in. 9/27/1915 Mi Edén Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar composer, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16560 10-in. 9/27/1915 La mexicana Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16561 10-in. 9/27/1915 Ay dí que sí Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16562 10-in. 9/27/1915 Los ojos de Julia Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16563 10-in. 9/28/1915 Bellezas de mi Cuba Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16564 10-in. 9/28/1915 La toma de Galicia Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16565 10-in. 9/28/1915 Houbigant de Boloña Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar, composer  
Victor B-16566 10-in. 9/28/1915 El aliado Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16567 10-in. 9/28/1915 Te perdono Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16568 10-in. 9/28/1915 Amor gallego Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor B-16569 10-in. 9/28/1915 Un trovador asturiano Adolfo Colombo ; Regino López Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
(Results 51-75 of 331 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Villalón Morales, Alberto," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

Villalón Morales, Alberto. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113130.

"Villalón Morales, Alberto." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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