Juan Francisco Pereira

Flutist. The first two decades of the twentieth century witnessed his work conducting his Charanga-style orchestra, in which he excelled in his work on the flute.

Born in Matanzas. In 1888 he began, in La Habana, his music studies with the chapel master of the parish, José Rosario Pacheco.

In 1889 he made his debut as a flutist in the orchestra of the Santa Teresa convent; later he was a student of Luciano Raluy. He was a founding member of the bands of the Santa Cecilia Society and that of the Cuerpo de Bomberos del Comercio de La Habana, which he left in 1896 to join the Liberation Army, in the band of the rifle regiment of Antonio Maceo, and together with Inocente Cruz, he organized a musical band that provided its services on the battlefields.

In the early days of the republic, Tata Pereira was one of the founders of the La Habana Police Band—later the Municipal Band—, with which he worked for twenty-eight years.

He was the first on the island who in 1914 dedicated himself to the manufacture of rolls or cardboard strips for player pianos for The Cuban Perforator. He was, for several years, president of the Society of Free Authors of Cuba.

He made numerous arrangements of works for his orchestra and wrote danzones such as "Linda Cubana" and "Sandunguita", recorded on disc in 1925.

He obtained First Prize in a musical competition convoked by the City Council of La Habana.

Works
Danzón
Aurora tiñosa
El delirio
El over-all
El triunfo de Corralito
Es mi forma
¿no?
Filarmonía
Gato y tiburón
Hay que ver
La copa del olvido
Las mañanitas alegres
Las tranquilas
Lazo de oro
Mundial
Se impone la pajilla negra
Tira si va a tirar
Yo la quiero

Zarzuela
Las pecadoras arrepentidas