Some danzón scores from the 19th century that were lost in the archives in the Cuban city of Matanzas have been rediscovered. Four of them were recently recorded by the Failde Orchestra.
MATANZAS, Cuba — A man in a white guayabera approaches a woman and stretches out his hand, palm up, inviting her to dance. She stands up and waves her fan. On the dance floor, they get closer. Such a scene at the end of the 19th century in Cuba was scandalous in some circles. It was also a new musical genre, the danzón. Now some danzón scores from that time that were lost in the archives in the Cuban city of Matanzas have been rediscovered. Four of them were recently recorded by the Failde Orchestra, highlighting what became the national dance of Cuba and later spread to other countries in the region. Recording the scores is important so that society today and future generations ″have a reference for what was their identity,″ said musicologist María Victoria Oliver. She and colleagues found the scores after checking the archives of several Matanzas institutions, including the provincial library, the concert band and the local museum. Even though the danzón started in the city in 1879, there were few written records of it until the early 20th century.
