page_title: Early Cuban bands
section_title: Orquesta Romeu
hierarchical_section_title: Early Cuban bands / Charangas / Orquesta Romeu
caption_attribution_description: English: photo of Orquesta de Antonio María Romeu, one of the first charanga francesas
context_page_description: Early Cuban bands played popular music for dances and theatres during the period 1780–1930. During this period Cuban music became creolized, and its European and African origins gradually changed to become genuinely Cuban. Instrumentation and music continually developed during this period. The information listed here is in date order, and comes from whatever records survive to the present day.
context_section_description: Founded around 1910 by Antonio María Romeu (1876–1955), this was for thirty years the most important charanga in Cuba. Romeu had previously played in Orquesta Cervantes, one of several charangas founded at the beginning of the 1900s, and became one of the most prolific composers of danzones. The orchestra recorded hundreds of numbers over many years, beginning in 1915, and issued a whole series of albums after 1950. It is not clear that Romeu was, as sometimes claimed, the originator of the charanga, but it is clear that his band was for many years the leading danzonera.
  The initial line-up for Orchestra Romeu was: Romeu (piano); Feliciano Facenda (violin); Alfredo Valdés (flute); Rafael Calazán (double bass); Remigio Valdés (timbal); Juan de la Merced (güiro): quite a small group.
  Much later the orchestra included Francisco Delabart (flute); Augusto Valdés (clarinet); Juan Quevedo (violin); Aurelio Valdés and Félix Vásquez (güiro); Antonio Ma. Romeu (son, violin); Pedro Hernández (violin); Dihigo (trumpet); Regueira (trombone) and José Antonio Díaz (flute). The singers (introduced after the introduction of the sung danzón, known as the danzonete) were, at two different times, Fernando Collazo and Barbarito Díez. In the thirties it had become a big band, and included two brass instruments.
  When Romeu died, the orchestra was led for a while by his son, also Antonio María Romeu, then by Barbarito Díez. It still played the traditional danzón, but now was called the Orquesta de Barbarito Díez.
caption: Orquesta Romeu with singer Fernando Collazo, late 1920s
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