TWO VIRTUOSO CUBAN VIOLINISTS UNITED IN VENEZUELA

About the Benefit Concert offered by the Cuban Violinists José White and Claudio Brindis De Salas in Venezuela.

At the end of the 19th century, a truly particular event took place in Venezuela, specifically in the city of Puerto Cabello, in the State of Carabobo, in which two iconic figures of Cuban Music, the famous violinists José White and Claudio Brindis De Salas, trained at the French violin school, graduated from the Paris Conservatory of Music, both with first prizes, White in 1856 and Brindis de Salas in 1871, converged.

FUENTE

White, who, in addition to an extensive career as a violinist, was a member of the concert society of the Paris Conservatory of Music, including Geroge Enescu and Jacques Thibaud among his disciples. As a composer he developed several works for violin, including his six studies for violin and his concert for violin, and his most popular and well-known work, La Bella Cubana.

FUENTE

For his part, Brindis de Salas, nicknamed "the Black Paganini" and "the King of the Octaves", had an overwhelming life, focused on his solo career, travelled throughout much of the old continent and in almost all of America, quickly achieving fame and fortune, and died destitute in public charity in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Another peculiarity of these two characters, is their African-American descent, White son of a French merchant and a Free African-Cuban, and Toast of theaters son of a musician father, member of a very popular orchestra in Havana, was known as the black Paganini, due to his skill with the violin, compared to the famous Genoese violinist Nícolo Paganini.

Thus, in 1877, in July, these two great figures of Cuban music converged with a common philanthropic aim, and at the same time generated the concern that if this meeting of two figures of the stature of White and Brindis de Salas constitutes an isolated event or occurred on other occasions and latitudes. The truth is that this fact is documented and here is a transcription of part of the advertisement of the newspaper La Prensa Libre of Puerto Cabello:

"A large and varied performance is being prepared with the help of intelligent and famous artists, for next Sunday in the spacious lounge located in Calle del Comercio, the former warehouse of Mr. Meyer Cohen and Mr. Ca. A feeling of philanthropy has given warmth to this project, which we have no doubt deserves from this charitable public, all the welcome we know how to give to what is beautiful and beautiful, when it wears the delicate scent of beneficence. The performance will consist of the following parts: - Performance by the Auxiliary Band of the most selected pieces of their repertoire. Vocal and instrumental concert, performed by the artistic celebrities White and Brindis de Salas, and by the acclaimed Venezuelan tenor Augusto Sarría. With piano accompaniment by Maestro Manuel Larrazábal; and performance of two beautiful pieces, in which well-known artists will take part and applauded by the public of Puerto Cabello. Half of the product of such a select function will be for the benefit of the Hospital de la Caridad and for the best success of it is placed under the patronage of respectable people of this society. Prepare Puerto Cabello, to distract even one night, the monotony of this tired life, with a show of amenity and taste, as will take place on Sunday, while wiping away the tears of the helpless, with the obulum of charity.

(La Prensa Libre 1 (6). July 17, 1877.)

The presence of these Cuban virtuosos would not only serve to "delight" - an expression used by the press of the time - the public who were fortunate enough to listen to them, but their art would have served to stimulate the study of their instrument - the violin - by numerous national dilettanti and especially by Puerto Cabello. Years later, a remarkable violinist named Augusto Félix Brandt will leave the port. Did he emerge from the seed left by these virtuosos?