Presence of the bagpipe in Cuba

Armando Rodríguez Ruidíaz | 2006

We cannot find references about the utilization of the bagpipes in Cuba before the

end of the 19th Century, and this doesn’t mean that they were not present in the island,

but rather that they were not probably considered as important as to be mentioned at all.

Many Galicians and Asturians arrived in Cuba since the 16th

Century, and as an example

we can mention the famous Galician sailor Sebastián de Ocampo, which in 1508

circumnavigated Cuba for the first time in history and confirmed it was truly an island.1 It

is quite probable that some of those Galicians or Asturians may have brought their own

bagpipes and played it; but evidently, these were isolated and infrequent circumstances.

The first references to the bagpipes in Cuba appear during the peak period of the

immigration from the northern regions of Spain; a period that extends from the end of the

19th Century to the first half of the 20th Century. At that time, numerous social, cultural

and charitable organizations were created in the island by immigrants from those regions.

Therefore, from then on, the influence of their culture and traditions, and particularly of

those traditions from Galicia and Asturias, began to be felt in a stronger way within the

Cuban social and cultural life.

It is in reference with the festivities organized by these regional cultural societies

that we find the first mentions about the “gaita” (Spanish bagpipe), and particularly about

the Galician bagpipe (gaita gallega), like in the following excerpt quoted from an article

published in the newspaper “La gaita gallega”, published in Havana entirely in the

Galician language and founded in 1885 by the Galician journalist Mauel Lugrís Freire.2

“In the evening of that anticipated day, the Galicians didn’t think in anything else

but the feast that was in preparation. All their faces reflected happiness; all their hearts

were beating at the impulse of the most joyful and charming remembrances. Now and

then, the “gaitas” played their tender melodies; either a delightful “muiñeira” (typical

Galician dance) or an evocative and always divine “alborada.”

Also in reference to the cultural activity from the northern regions of Spain in

Cuba, Cuban musicologist María Teresa Linares says: “In spite of the consolidation and

crystallization of certain music with Cuban identity (at the beginning of the 19th

Century), our population continued to enjoy the traditional Spanish music. Its presence

became evident through artists that either lived in the island or paid seasonal visits to it…

1 Guerra y Sánchez, Ramiro: Historia elemental de Cuba.Guije.com No.19.

http://www.guije.com/libros/historia01/c02/

2 Lugrís Freire, Manuel: A Festa do Tacón. Published in “A Gaita Gallega” , Galicia Espallada August 2,

1885. http://www.galiciaespallada.com.ar/manuel_lugris_freire_a_festa_do_tacon.htm (Traducción del

gallego)

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Spanish societies used to maintain direct links with Spain, with the families [of their

members] and new immigrants that continued to arrive… In Havana you could hear

Galician music with “gaitas”, Andalusian music, as well as Castilian and Asturian

music.”3

Galician musical ensemble playing at the “Jardines de la Tropical”.

Although we know that the “gaita” was played in Cuba, this instrument was never

fully integrated to the autochthonous musical practice, along with other instruments of

Spanish or African origin that had been used since the 16th Century, as the guitar, the

Spanish lute, the claves and the bongo. The utilization of the bagpipes stayed always

within the realm of the Galician and Asturian regional groups.

But why such an inventive and clever people as the Cubans, that were able to

incorporate to their music the most diverse and unlikely objects, from a plow coulter, a

wooden box or a dry gourd (güiro) to a Chinese instrument like the Suona (the well

known Chinese trumpet or “Corneta China” from the Santiago Carnival), did not feel the

impulse to use a musical instrument so cherished by their ancestors as the bagpipe?

We should consider that the boom of the “gaita”, and therefore of its process of

incorporation to the musical practice of the nation, was extended only approximately to

the 100 years that spanned from 1860 to 1960. That period of time is relatively short if

we compare it with the 400 years that took the Afro-Cuban instruments to become fully

integrated to the typical Cuban music groups, along with the instruments that came from

southern Spain, and emerge into the public light at the beginning of the 20th

Century in

the Son ensembles.4

The natural process of assimilation of the bagpipe into the national culture was

abruptly interrupted by the rise to power of the Fidel Castro government in 1959. During

3 Linares, María Teresa y Núñez, Faustino: La música entre Cuba y España, Fundación Autor 1998, p. 50.

4 Carpentier, Alejo: La música en Cuba, Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1979, p. 195.

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that period, the Spanish immigration flow to Cuba stops, the properties of the regional

social centers are expropriated and their activity is reduced to a minimum. Xenia Reloba

makes the following comments on this subject:

“...the economic crisis experienced in Spain after World War I stimulated the

emigration to the lost lands from oversea. Galicians, Asturians, Canarians, Catalans and

Andalusians brought their traditions and nostalgias… With the first decades of the 20th

Century the Spanish societies proliferated. Little by little, high quality dancers and

companies came to Cuba, says [Carlos Velázquez]. The TV contributed to promote the

enjoyment [of Spanish music and dance]. But in 1960 another crises came over. The

visits slowed down, the academies and private conservatories closed their doors and

many professors emigrated or retired."5

From left to right: José González, Galician bagpiper who participated at the “romerías de “La Tropical” in

Havana, his wife with the tambourine, an unidentified person with the bass drum and Armando Rodríguez

with the “gaita gallega.”

During the decades comprised between 1960 and 1980, our Hispanic cultural

heritage was consistently underestimated or simply ignored in Cuba; while at the same

time the African traditions were emphasized and praised. Just to offer some examples; the

Modern Dance School of the National School of Arts offered, at that time, a “folklore”

class that consisted exclusively of studies about Afro-Cuban folklore. The National

Ensemble of Modern Dance (Conjunto Nacional de Danza Moderna) included on its

repertoire numerous pieces based on the Afro-Cuban component of our culture, but

nothing related to the Hispanic folklore. Nicolás Guillén, a poet that based his entire work

on the Afro-Cuban traditions was considered during that period as the “Cuban National

5 Reloba, Xenia: !Olé en Salsa Cubana!

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Poet.” The utilization of the Spanish bagpipe and other artistic manifestations related to

the Hispanic heritage practically disappeared from the Cuban cultural panorama.

But at the end of the 1980’s decade, we find revitalization in the interest of the Cuban

population on certain Hispanic genres and artistic styles. It seems that the search for new

markets and ways of economic survival from the part of the Cuban government, after the

disappearance of the Soviet Union and its subsidies, propitiated an aperture to the

Spanish investments and tourism that finally allowed the return of the Cuban people to

the cultivation of artistic expressions related with their Hispanic ancestors.

We can find mentions to this Hispanic cultural renaissance in several articles, such as the

following quotation from an informative essay publish in the “Anuario da Gaita” from

the “Escola provincial de gaitas da deputación de Ourense”.

“It seemed at the beginning of the 1990s that the sounds of the bagpipe were going to

vanish from Cuba. The Galician colony, already grown old, didn’t count upon musicians

that would be able to play the traditional instrument. It wasn’t also easy to find them or

construct them. Eduardo Lorenzo was predestined to be the last of those bagpipers.

It was at that moment that some strong wills gather with the intention to prevent the

imminent decease of the “gaita”. The “Xunta de Galicia,” in coordination with the

societies, and particularly with the “Agrupación Artística Gallega,” sponsored a first

competition of bagpipers and called the only one that was capable to teach it [the

bagpipe] in the island. This way, Eduardo Lorenzo was able to communicate his

experience and bring new life to the instrument…

Eduardo Lorenzo playing with one of his students.

After the first competition, more youngsters from Galician descent began to join the

group, little by little, and to share their knowledge. At this time there are approximately

from 10 to 15 bagpipers, from all races and sexes, in which the seed planted by Eduardo

is blooming. The “gaitas” are growing healthy again in Cuba.”

Eduardo Lorenzo was born in Cuba from Galician parents that returned to Galicia when

the child was just one year old. He learned to play the bagpipe with his father and at a

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later time also learned to build them himself. In 1948, Lorenzo returned to Cuba where he

joined the “Agrupación artística gallega” (Galician Artistic Group), in which his brother

was already participating. Apparently he didn’t play or construct any bagpipes for a very

long time, until de 1990s.6

The following quotations from several articles mention this revival of Cuban Hispanic

traditions. It seems that, most recently, various artistic groups especially dedicated to

preserve the Cuban music and dance from Hispanic origin have been created; festivals

have been organized and the celebration of certain festivities, such as the Santiago

Apostol day, have been permitted.

“Havana, May 26th – At the same time as in Galicia, the Day of the Galician Literature,

which by extension has become the Day of the Galician Culture, was celebrated in Cuba

on May 17th. This celebration took place at the ample halls of the “Centro Gallego de la

Habana.” Part of this palace, which by the way is in much need of repairs, is occupied by

the Gran Teatro de la Habana... The "Grupo Montepedrini" (Montepedrini Group),

comprised by youngsters from both sexes, performed with great virtuosity the Galician

national dance at this event. They amazed the audience with their excellence in handling

the bagpipes, tambourines, drums and other musical instruments, which are typical of the

rustic Galician region, and also with their dance, that was perfectly adjusted. The

“cubanitos”, transformed in “galleguitos” for about half an hour, drew strong applauses

from the audience that crowded the hall.7

“It is a tradition, since many years now, that the Spanish communities present in Havana

gather to celebrate the “Santiago Apostol” day. Each 25th

of July they meet at a solemn

mass that has been usually held at the Iglesia del Carmen. This year, there was a variation

in regard to the Havana temple that hosted that feast, dedicated to the supposed

evangelizer of the North of the Iberian Peninsula. The church of the “Sagrado Corazón.”

popularly known as the church of “Reina,”was decorated for this occasion.

To the strident sound of the “gaitas” and the clatter of multiple castanets begins the

celebration of the Day of Santiago. The standard bearers carrying the flags of Cuba,

Spain and Galicia follow the bagpipers, and after them went several couples of

youngsters, dressed in the typical garments from Spanish regions and provinces,

representing the societies present at our island. It is worth to point out the presence of

five bagpipers, including a young lady. Some years ago there was just a solitary old man

that livened up the event with the sound of his worn out “gaita”…8

6 Vázquez, Natacha: Eduardo Lorenzo: el último gaiteiro que hizo resurgir el instrumento en Cuba,

Anuario da Gaita. Escola provincial de gaitas da deputación de Ourense, 2002.

7 Celebran el Día de las Letras Gallegas: Cubanet Independiente, May 27,

2003.http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y03/may03/27a6.htm

8 Saludes, Miguel: El camino de Santiago pasa por La Habana, Cubanet Independiente, July 28, 2004.

http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y04/jul04/29a9.htm

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“… On my way to the “Plaza de Armas” I hear a bagpipe. I come near the spot and watch

with surprise that there are three people, including one of color. This last one, the most

talkative, explains that he descends from Jamaicans and likes the bagpipe… he has never

been in our country [Spain], but he would deserve to be nominated as honorary Galician

(such as so many others that were not born here but hold the post). The other two

“gaiteros”, shyer than the other one, are also Cubans…”9

Bagpipers playing at a park in Havana.

We had mentioned before that the bagpipe couldn’t have been incorporated to the

autochthonous Cuban musical ensembles, but apparently important advances have been

made towards this goal, as Nora Sosa tells us in the following quote:

“Listening to the Mazurca de Bretoña, Wilber Calver induces me to perceive how in this

composition the bagpipe joins the “batá” drums… Yes, I was surprised when he assured

to me: along with this melody you can dance either a “muiñeira” or an African dance

dedicated to “Ochún,” goddess of love. And this interpretation was followed by “Son

Mariñán”, performed in such a Cuban style that you can almost dance a “Son.”

Born in the Holguín province some thirty years ago, Wilber was fascinated by the

appearance and timbre of the “gaita” when he first saw it in a French film… -The “gaita”

is a unique instrument-, this musician from Jamaican descent assures to me. When he

settles in the Havana’s “El Cerro” neighborhood, about 13 years ago, he finds new

possibilities for his musical interests. It was in1999 when, by Wilber’s initiative, the

“Afrocuban Celtas” group was created. This ensemble makes the traditional Galician

“muiñeira” sound as a different tune.

9 Mera, Manuel: Cuba, seis años después, Galizacig.com (Translation from the Galician language).

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In the Capital City municipality of “El Cerro,” Wilber joins the ensemble Babalú Ayé,

conducted by his friend, the renowned specialist in Afro-Cuban folk music Raúl

González Brito. There, the “gaita” plays along with the “batá” drums, wooden boxes

(cajones), “tumbadoras” (congas), “chequerés,” and, at the same time, the performers

sing a catchy tune: If you don’t believe it, If I don’t believe it, a “gaita” and

“guaguancó.”10

Finally, I would like to mention some fragments from an interesting article about a

documentary on the revival of the bagpipes in Cuba; where the principal character is the

elder bagpiper Eduardo Lorenzo, who unfortunately passed away shortly after the film

was finished.

“After several centuries from the mythical insular betrothal of the guitar and the hide,

few sonorous associations between instruments from both latitudes inhabited the

pentagram with so much credibility that those offered by the film “Los últimos gaiteros

de La Habana” (The last bagpipers from Havana), in spite of the fact that this is not the

only truth revealed by the documentary, but rather, its golden cover.

A winner of the Great Price at the recent First Festival of the Cuban Television, it is true

that on it, the music, one more time, becomes a bridge between continents and customs,

between ancient and modern spiritualities, between races, in this case through a

surprising entity integrated by the bagpipe, the “tumbadora” (congas), and other

instruments generators of rhythm.

A film of 27 minutes, produced by Natasha Vázquez and Ernesto Daranas, winner of the

last Journalism Award “King of Spain,” the harmonies of the bagpipes (muiñeiras,

alboradas, pasodobles), the beating of Cuban percussion (rumba, guaguancó), and the

resultant musical structures, integrate the musical lead of a nice and nostalgic sound

track, topped by the original theme, performed by Norge Batista, in a sort of melodic

syncretism that becomes a contribution to the film.

¿A new skin for the Spanish bagpipe, a change of background for that sound machine,

“gaita” in “tempo di guaguancó,” a Galician-Cuban cocktail?, it could be possible, but it

seems to us that may be better to talk about the “Cubanization,” “Americanization,”

"tropicalization'', finally, of the Spanish bagpipe; or in the film producer’s own words, the

curious destiny of the bagpipe in the homeland of “Rumba” and “Son.”11

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Sosa, Nora: Wilber Calver – Con la gaita a cuestas –– Estrategias del joven cubano para seguir

aplatanando un forastero instrumento musical, Bohemia Digital.

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Paneque Brizuela, Antonio: Los últimos gaiteros de La Habana. Música gallega en tiempo de

guaguancó, Noticias de la Música Cubana, March 18,

2005.http://noticiasdelaesquinadelson.blogspot.com/2005/03/msica-gallega-en-tiempo-de-guaguanc.html