{"product_id":"20ccuba4","title":"1980s–1990s Archive of the Post-Revolutionary State-Run Havana Music Industry and Beloved Cuban Musicians, Primarily Benny Moré","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eOn offer is a small but significant archive related to Cuban singer Bartolomé [Benny or Beny] Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (1919–1963), better known as Benny Moré. The archive is equally important for its connection to the post-Revolutionary Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular and to the musicians it promoted.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eThe centrepiece of the archive is a 32-page printed program for a September 1981 live cultural event held at Havana’s Teatro América, being the \u003ci\u003eSegundo Festival Provincial de Música Cubana “Benny Moré.”\u003c\/i\u003e The festival featured a competition between thirteen Cuban musical acts, gala tributes honouring César Portillo de la Luz and Roberto Faz, and related performances by leading Cuban musicians.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eThe program opens with an introduction by Guanary Amoedo, praising post-Revolutionary Cuban artists. A translated excerpt reads:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e“The Revolution has allowed our instrumentalists, orchestrators, composers, and artists in general to reach a high technical level, which is constantly improving… we are not surprised by the quality of the works presented at the Second Provincial Festival of Cuban Music, ‘Benny Moré,’ organized by the Provincial Directorate of Culture of the People’s Power, whose fundamental objective is the development, stimulation, and promotion of Cuban music.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eThe program lists the jury, orchestra conductors, invited orchestras, and production team, and outlines the events for each festival day with the featured artists.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eEach of the thirteen competing acts receives a two-page spread with a full-page black-and-white photograph, performance credits (composer, orchestrator, and performer), and complete song lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAmong the thirteen competitors were:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"ul1\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eNo Tardes\u003c\/i\u003e – composed by \u003cb\u003eCarmen Faxas\u003c\/b\u003e, orchestrated by \u003cb\u003ePedro Coto\u003c\/b\u003e, performed by \u003ci\u003eCuarteto Yo, Tú, Elle y Ella\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eEl Son\u003c\/i\u003e – composed by \u003cb\u003eJoaquín Mendívil Guerra\u003c\/b\u003e, orchestrated by \u003cb\u003eNeffer Milanés\u003c\/b\u003e, performed by \u003cb\u003eMagaly Tars\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003ePequeño Tema Para Decir Te Quiero\u003c\/i\u003e – composed by \u003cb\u003eGustavo Casals\u003c\/b\u003e, orchestrated by \u003cb\u003eRafael Casas\u003c\/b\u003e, performed by \u003cb\u003eMiguel Ángel Piña\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eBenny Moré Presente!\u003c\/i\u003e – composed and orchestrated by \u003cb\u003eSergio Calzado\u003c\/b\u003e, performed by \u003cb\u003eEstrellas Cubanas\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eConfío Amor\u003c\/i\u003e – composed by \u003cb\u003eFrancisco Garzón Céspedes\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eJorge Garciapourrua Álvarez\u003c\/b\u003e, orchestrated by \u003cb\u003eEdegio Alejandro\u003c\/b\u003e, performed by \u003cb\u003eEstherlierd Marcos\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e(Unverified online sources report that \u003cb\u003eJoaquín Mendívil Guerra\u003c\/b\u003e won the competition with \u003ci\u003eEl Son\u003c\/i\u003e [Algaret, 2010].)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe festival’s Artistic Director was Braulio San Agustín, assisted by Luis Montalvo. It was hosted by Eduardo Rosillo, Marialina Grau, Aseneh Rodríguez, and Ramón Fraga, and organized by the Centro\/Unidad Provincial de Espectáculos y Carnaval de Ciudad de La Habana, a branch of the Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular [SEE BIO NOTES]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe program illustrates the early results of Cuba’s post-Revolutionary centralized entertainment management system and offers an exceptional snapshot of the early-1980s Cuban music scene — both the \u003ci\u003einstitutionalized remembrance of Benny Moré\u003c\/i\u003e and the state’s curatorial role in national music culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRounding out the archive are two postcards printed in 1999 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Benny Moré’s birth, published by Ediciones Pontón Caribe, S.A., each featuring a black-and-white photo under rights held by BISART.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe first postcard, titled \u003ci\u003e¿Dónde estabas tú?\u003c\/i\u003e, shows Moré looking curiously at a contemporary. The second, untitled postcard, is a close-up profile of Moré. These editions, produced jointly by BISART and Pontón Caribe, attest to his enduring posthumous fame and Cuba’s continued institutional commemoration of its musical icons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe festival program measures approximately 10 × 7 inches and is in Good condition with mild age toning and some spine separation at the staples, but remains intact. The postcards are Very Good, with only light toning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIncluded for context as a gift to the buyer, and at no charge, are three printed photographs of Benny Moré, produced on Kodak paper in the 1990s and held by the Cuban collector who assembled the archive. These are not originals but complementary reproductions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBIO NOTES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eIn post-Revolutionary Cuba, the government \u003cb\u003ec\u003c\/b\u003eentralized cultural administration, eliminating private promoters and absorbing them into state agencies overseen by the Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis Directorate organized public shows, managed artists’ contracts, and coordinated the Havana Carnival (\u003ci\u003eCubarte\u003c\/i\u003e, 2007; \u003ci\u003eBibliografía Cubana\u003c\/i\u003e, 1981; \u003ci\u003eArchivocubano\u003c\/i\u003e, n.d.). A related unit, the Unidad de Casas de Cultura, supervised community arts centres and promoted local participation in music, theatre, and visual arts (\u003ci\u003eRegalado\u003c\/i\u003e, 2010).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eOther branches covered libraries, museums, and film exhibition, all reporting through the provincial Dirección as part of the state’s centralized cultural network (\u003ci\u003eGranma\u003c\/i\u003e, 1981). The Havana coordination of carnival and public spectacles was carried out by a provincial-level body variously titled \u003ci\u003eCentro Provincial de Espectáculos y Carnaval\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEmpresa Provincial de Carnavales\u003c\/i\u003e, or similar entities under the Dirección Provincial de Cultura.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSOURCES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"ul1\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003eAlgaret, V. (2010, April 24). \u003ci\u003eBiography of Joaquín Mendívil Guerra.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003eArchivocubano. (n.d.). \u003ci\u003eEl carnaval de La Habana y la Revolución.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003eBibliografía Cubana. (1981). \u003ci\u003ePlan del Carnaval 1981: Ciudad de La Habana.\u003c\/i\u003e Instituto Cubano del Libro.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eCubarte. (2007, July 26). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eEn sus marcas… listos… La Habana en Carnaval.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003eGranma. (1981). \u003ci style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eGranma newspaper index 1981.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li2\"\u003eRegalado, O. (2010). \u003ci style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eEl carnaval de La Habana: pasado, presente y futuro.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Katz Fine Manuscripts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51049913745714,"sku":"20CCUBA4","price":685.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0617\/8612\/8618\/files\/Untitleddesign-132.png?v=1775680226","url":"https:\/\/katzfinemanuscripts.com\/products\/20ccuba4","provider":"Katz Fine Manuscripts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}