Preferred Name
Yanet Bermudez Ortiz
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9923-4071
Date of Graduation
5-1-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Department
School of Music
Advisor(s)
Eric Ruple
Paulo Steinberg
Pedro R. Aponte
Abstract
This document aims to trace the evolution of the Cuban danza for the piano as seen in the works by Manuel Saumell, Ignacio Cervantes, Ernesto Lecuona, and Gisela Hernandez. The first chapter describes the history and origins of the Cuban danza, ending with Ignacio Cervantes’ compositions. In the following chapters, these composers’ lives and works are contrasted and analyzed in chronological order. Chapter two is dedicated to Manuel Saumell’s compositions, which are framed as the best representative examples of the roots of the Cuban danzas for the piano. Chapter three is centered on Ignacio Cervantes’ compositions and is analyzed as the standard model for the Cuban danza of the 19th century. Ernesto Lecuona’s output in chapter four is limited to the analysis of his Danzas Cubanas, however references are made to his Afro-Cuban danzas. Although Lecuona’s contributions to the genre unfold as expansive and developmental, it is his nationalistic characteristics that stand out the most. In chapter five, Gisela Hernandez’s Cubanas para Piano is presented as an example of the Cuban danza created after the 1950s on the island. They are viewed as an example of the genre’s adaptability to the style of modern Cuban composers. The final chapter serves as a summary of all the findings and conclusions on the topic.
Recommended Citation
Bermudez Ortiz, Yanet, "The origins and development of the Cuban Danzas for the piano in the works of Manuel Saumell, Ignacio Cervantes, Ernesto Lecuona and Gisela Hernandez" (2023). Dissertations, 2020-current. 97.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss202029/97
