Friday, May 1, 2009

YouTube: 1924 Edison Recording of 'La Bella Cubana' by José Silvestre White (1835-1918)

[José Silvestre White (1835-1918); photo from http://www.guije.com/libros/musical/white/f1.jpg]

'La Bella Cubana' (6:13) by the Afro-Cuban composer José Silvestre White (1835-1918) can be heard on a YouTube video: “An experimental recording in 1924 by Thomas Alva Edison.” "La Bella Cubana ‐ José White (composer)”. "La bella cubana", a Habanera, was originally written for two violins and piano."

"La Bella Cubano- Habanera
Performed by: El Trio Cubano - violins and piano 
Record format: Edison Diamond Disc test pressing 
Matrix number: 9717-A-1-1 
Recording date: September 18, 1924 
NPS object catalog number: EDIS 77575
This item is part of the collection: Open Source Audio
Author: El Trio Cubano
Date: 1924-00-00 00:00:00
Source: National Park Service
Creative Commons license: Public Domain"
[José Silvestre White, or José Silvestre White y Lafitte, was an Afro-Cuban violinist who became a composer and professor after graduating from the Paris Conservatory. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com. A full catalogue of José White's surviving compositions has been compiled by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music at Lawrence University. It was published in Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 1990, and can also be found on the José Silvestre White page of the website.]

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