Miguel Ramón Demetrio Faílde Pérez

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Miguel Failde, one of our first popular musicians, was the Matanzas native who invented the danzón. His parents were Cándido Faílde who was from Galicia and Justa Pérez, a mulata from Matanzas. Faílde was the inspired cornetist creator of the danzón, who premiered it in 1889 at the Liceo of his native city.

His father was his first teacher, discoverer of his musical aptitudes. He mastered the cornet at the early age of twelve years and when his father died, he studied, thanks to his older brother, with Federico Peclier, a professor from the Conservatorio de París.

He directed the Fire Department Band of his native Matanzas. Years later he formed his own musical band in 1871 called "La Orquesta de Miguel Faílde" which played for 50 years and with which he enjoyed great popularity among the population. Miguel also played the double bass and viola and despite not being a pianist he performed complex pieces on the piano.

He also gave music classes in his home and participated, along with a friend in the publication of a literary weekly newspaper that was called Ideas Nuevas, arising from meetings he held with intellectuals at a printing press.

In that atmosphere of distinction and lordly leisure of our grandfathers that is painted for us, the danzón emerged.

In some notes provided by Miguel Failde shortly before his death to the Matanzas journalist Mr. G. Villa, the author of the danzón described the birth of it in the following way:

"At that time a group dance called danzón was danced in Matanzas. This dance was formed by up to twenty couples provided with arches and bouquets of flowers. It was truly a dance of figures and its movements were adjusted to the beat of the Habanera, which is the true beat that should be given to the danzón.

"The one who directed this dance of figures invited me to write music ad hoc, since until then the couples executed the figures singing at the top of their voices. And when writing that music, the idea of the dance that today is called danzón occurred to me. I wrote it and put it into rehearsal. Everyone liked it, that is, the musicians and the dancers, and it became popular in a very short time. Afterwards I wrote many, but how many more have not been written and will continue to be written!"

The first danzón written, in 1889, was "Las Alturas de Simpson". The original danzón had two parts, and it has undergone some variations, reaching up to the eight-part danzón, and finally it was reduced to three: the introduction, a song part, -in which Raimundo Valenzuela introduced many opera pieces- and the cedazo or final part, which retains a certain African rhythm.

Regarding the introduction of the danzón in Havana, there are two versions: one is Failde's, taken from his notes and it is as follows:

"It was here, in Matanzas, where about forty years ago -Failde's music originals are dated February 1889- the danzón was played and danced under my direction and for the first time. Afterwards I myself brought it to Havana and it was played and danced there for the first time also at a family gathering where the famous professor Raimundo Valenzuela was present, who applauded it and accepted it as a typical Cuban dance. The gentlemen professors Tomás Olivera, Félix Cruz, Enrique Urrutia, Caridad Hernández and Pablo Valenzuela, are reliable witnesses of what I state."

Among his repertoire of compositions, which were not only danzones we find: "Las alturas de Simpson", "La diosa japonesa", "Cuba libre", "Yo me voy para el otro mundo", "Los mascavidrios", "El mondonguito", "Antón Pirulero", "La serenata de Schubert", "Figurín, se acabó el merengue", the "Jota aragonesa", "Piña", "Mamey y zapote", among many others. His nephew, Osvaldo Castillo Faílde collected at least 144 danzones composed by him.

His last public presentation with the orchestra was in the year 1920.