Antonio María Romeu

Antonio María Romeu
Background information
Born
Antonio María Romeu Marrero

(1876-09-11)September 11, 1876
Jibacoa, Cuba
DiedJanuary 18, 1955(1955-01-18) (aged 78)
Havana, Cuba
GenresDanzón
OccupationsMusician, bandleader, composer, arranger
InstrumentPiano
LabelsPanart

Antonio María Romeu Marrero (11 September 1876 – 18 January 1955) was a Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader. His orchestra was Cuba's leading charanga for over thirty years, specializing in the danzón.[1] Throughout his career he was known as El Mago de las Teclas (“The Keyboard Magician”).[2][3]

Life and career

Romeu studied music in 1884 with Joaquín Mariano Martínez and practiced piano at a local church in Jibacoa. At twelve he played his first dance and composed his first piece. In 1899 he moved to Havana and performed in cafés, later joining the Orquesta Cervantes — one of the earliest charangas founded at the start of the 1900s. These new ensembles, pitched brighter than the típicas, replaced brass with flute and added the new pailas criollas (now timbales). Orquesta Cervantes was the first charanga known to include piano.

In 1910 he founded his own orchestra. Its initial line-up featured Romeu (piano), Feliciano Facenda (violin), Alfredo Valdés (flute), Rafael Calazán (double bass), Remigio Valdés (timbales) and Juan de la Merced (güiro). By the 1920s the group had expanded considerably and included his son Antonio María Romeu Jr. on violin. In the 1930s it briefly functioned as a big band (“jazzband”). During World War II, tourism declined and the band contracted again.

By 1927, vocalists were added to the danzón. Romeu’s ensemble featured Fernando Collazo and later Barbarito Díez (1935 onward). He maintained racially integrated bands throughout his career — a Cuban tradition since the 19th century.[4]

After Romeu’s death in 1955, his orchestra was directed by his son Antonio María Romeu Jr., then by Barbarito Díez. It continued performing traditional danzón as the Orquesta de Barbarito Díez.[5]

Compositions

Romeu wrote and arranged over 500 danzones, many re-worked for other genres. His best-known composition was Tres lindas cubanas, based on a son cubano by guitarist Guillermo Castillo and popularized by the Sexteto Habanero. Other favorites include Siglo XX, La danza de los millones, Cinta azul, El mago de las teclas, and Jibacoa. He also arranged songs by Sindo Garay, Rosendo Ruiz, Manuel Corona, Eusebio Delfín, and Manuel Luna, as well as adaptations of classical works by Mozart and Rossini.


References

  1. ^ Giro, Radamés (2007). Diccionario encyclopédico de la música en Cuba, vol. 4, Havana, p. 84.
  2. ^ Ledón Sánchez, Armando (2003). La música popular en Cuba (in Spanish). Oakland CA: Intelibooks. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9780932367150.
  3. ^ Shepherd, John; Horn, David, eds. (2014). "Danzón". Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Vol. 9. Bloomsbury. p. 274. ISBN 9781441132253.
  4. ^ Carpentier, Alejo (2001 [1945]) Music in Cuba. Minneapolis MN, p. 161.
  5. ^ Orovio, Helio (1981). Diccionario de la música cubana. Havana, p. 283.

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  1. ^ "LatinPop FIU – Sección 05 R" (PDF). Florida International University (in Spanish). FIU Libraries. 2024. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  2. ^ Marquetti Torres, Rosa (29 January 2019). "La dinastía Romeu en la música cubana". Gladys Palmera Foundation (in Spanish). Fundación Gladys Palmera. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  3. ^ "Antonio María Romeu Marrero, mago del danzón". Cadena Habana (ICRT) (in Spanish). Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  4. ^ "Armando Romeu, músico de la Radio Cubana". Radio Cubana (in Spanish). ICRT. 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  5. ^ "Entrevista con Zenaida Romeu". Cubadebate (in Spanish). Cubadebate Editorial Team. 2010. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  6. ^ "Zenaida Romeu recuerda a su hermano Armando de Sequeira". TopHoy Cuba (in Spanish). February 2023. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  7. ^ "Camerata Romeu". Cubadebate / Agencias (in Spanish). 2019. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  8. ^ "Gonzalo Romeu – compositor y director de orquesta cubano". Granma (in Spanish). Editora Política. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  9. ^ "Bebé Jeanny". Apple Music. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  10. ^ "Jeannette Claudine Romeu a.k.a. Galaxy Girl". Apple Music. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  11. ^ Allen, Lisa (September 2003). "Galaxy Girl is shining brightly in Weston Hills". The Miami Herald.
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