, 1888-06-24

a martyr to his own peans to freedom. In
the. instruction of 1874 his whole soul
burned for the freedom of the blacks.
Whatever his relations might have been
to the insurgents, horrible accusations
we're brought against him. He denied
them with majestic dignity. but asked no
mercy. On June %, 1874, he was execut-
ed with nineteen others. His bearing was
that of a conqueror. Kneeling with I'M
bandaged eyes he received the first volley
with a smiling face. He fell forward
wounded only in the shoulder. Slowly
rising upon his knees to his fullest height
with radiant face and unfaltering voice he
exclaimed: Farewell, world. ever pitt
less to me! Fire-herel" raising his
rand to his temples. The next volley
killed him. But the legend throughout
Cuba is that a beatific smile of triumph
rested upon Placido's face even in death.
While much of Placido's verse was dressed
in uncouth and barbaric garb and was full
of the superlative passion of the tropics,
whenever this son of the people, this
Pariah Of the Shiny GALES, struck upon
his wild and tattered harp any lay appeal
ing to the universal human heart, the
notes were majestic and even sublime.
His sonnets to Tell, Napoleon and Christ
are not excelled in any language.
Other poets of Cuba who deserved
fame for their songs and freedom for their
idolized land, are Rafael Maria de Men
dive whose volume, "Pasionarias," will
rank with the works of any American
poet; Juan Guell y Rente, whose Leaves
of the Soul, published in 1916, bear i'm
press of exalted genius; Antonio Vazquez,
whose poems of patriotism and passion
are full OF fire and beauty; Joaquin
G~ranados, whose apostrophe to Cuba
alone entities him to laureateship; Blan-
chete, whose "Cuba's Future" is a mourn
full, pure and exalted prophecy of dolor
and eventual blessings which stirs the very
soul; O'Hallorans, whose descriptive
poems, love songs and laments are magic
aFwith color, sweetness and pathos; and
scores more whom | would love to name
and help make known for the thrilling,
sweet or passionate cries that have gone
out of their souls to the nations and fallen
unheard save on the eager ears of their
own helpless and hopeless people. |
could prolong this study alone TO the
dimensions Of a noble volume, and then
hardly have touched the beauties, vir-
tues and true genius OF Cuban poetry.
One fact is especially remarkable and fas-
OludbiuG.
The very genius of song has had its
birth and noble growth here In spite of its
persistent attempted a~ssassinations and
%extirpation by Spain. Covered with
governmental contumely, prescribed, ex-
lied or murdered with barely the mockery
OF trial, the songs of freedom have alike
burst from the lips of scholar and peas
ant, and the people have sung them
while on blood. swept fields laying down
their lives for liberty. IT. is inconceivable
to us Of the United States, who of late
sing only from a full belly, of a political
hero. or Of a lost mistress, how the hearts
and souls of these Cubans are e~nwrought
and fired by their poetry. Their poems
of TO day have equal greatness with those
of half a century ago. But no poet dare
sign his name to a patriotic Cuban song.
lie selects a flower, a stream, a tree, a
shining vale. Around this his genius
builds wondrous picturings. Cuba is not
named. But the people know the bleed
ing form of their idiolized isle is meant,
and, afiame, they sing the poets sons
1t is pitiful how they pray hat a few
American rifles, and just a little Ameri-
can powder, might ring and flame in the
same holy cause.
Cuban music, while full of the coloring
and distinct peculiarities of that of Spain,
is still as distinct In itself as is that of An
dalusla from Spanish national music. In.
deed 1t has much in common with the
former. Among the striking similarities
are the polyrYthmic characteristic, or the
simultaneous presence of different rythms;
iorid o~rnamentation around a central
melody; and emphatic RECOGNITION of the
deepest and richest in oriental elements.
But all Cuban songs of brightness and
citation possess the strongly accented
dance rythm. In fact all boleros, danzas,
contradanzas, ballads and songs are purely
dance songs or singing dances. In ex-
clusively instrumental work, as also in
vocal serenades and the canciones Cubanes
or Cuban songs of sentiment and even in
the guarachas or popular ballads, the pre-
dominating, or more decided tones are
those which ac~centuate distant themes
with minor undertones.
These often possess thrilling effects.
"Ah," once said a Cuban composer to me,
the Cuban cry for freedom ever plants
throug and through our most enlivening
alrsl' And there 1t is, as surely as in
Cuban poetry. The marvel is that these
folk possess any music at all. But more
than one patient soul has scaled the
hei ghts despite Spanish hate of all Cuban
art development.
Several of the creole negro Jiminez
family in Havana and Cienfuegos are well
known in all countries as violinists, piano
lists and composers of rare talent. Igna-
clio Cervantes of Havana, laureate pianist
of France and Spain, is almost famous as
a composer of reveries, fantasies, roman
zas and Moorish s~erenades. Joseito
White, a Matanzan mulatto, who hes
been heard in the United States, is I'M
doubtedly to. day the greatest Of American
violinists, and is now ~violinist to the Bra
lillian court. All know of the greatness
of Brindisi, honored by the late emperor
of Germany as v~iolinist to the imperial
household. He is a Havana mulatto.
His father, a brilliant ~violoncelist, still
performs at important church festivals at
Havana.
But in Cuban musical hope probably the
greatest store is set by what is expected
from Gaspar Villate. lie is a native of
Santiago de Cuba, and, although now but
35 wears of age, is already famous in