Maria Teresa Vera (1895-1965) helped put Cuban music on the map, as one of the greatest performers in her genre.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s musician helped put Cuban music on the map, as one of the greatest performers in her genre. She made a career out of music when that was almost completely unheard of for her gender. Let’s talk about the iconic Maria Teresa Vera.
Maria Teresa Vera was born in Guanajay, Cuba, on February 6th, 1895.
She started learning guitar at a young age when she joined a group of trova musicians. They were known as “troubadours,” or wandering street performers who earned their living with music on the go. Trova is a traditional Cuban folk music with a poetic, lyrical style.
In 1911, when Maria was 15, she performed publicly for the first time in Havana at a tribute to the Cuban actor Arquimedes Pous. After that, her career took off. She began to perform throughout Cuba in a duo with fellow musician Rafael Zequiera. The pair also traveled to New York several times to record their music together. Rafael passed away in 1924.
Though Maria occasionally played solo, she soon sought a new duo with Miguelito Garcia in 1926. Maria also put together her own band, the Sexteto Occidente, or the West Sextet. That group was one of the first sextets to play the genre known as son cubano, which blends inspirations from both Spanish and African music.
The Sexteto Occidente also traveled to New York to record music -- though they only stayed together about 18 months.
In 1937, Maria formed another, more lasting musical duo with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo. The pair stuck together for 25 years. Maria’s music soon became regularly featured on Havana radio stations.
Maria recorded almost 200 songs in her career -- though her friends and loved ones claim she could play over a thousand songs. Her song “Veinte Años,” or ‘20 years,’ became a standard tune in her country. It has since been covered by numerous artists.
The modern Cuban musician Silvio Rodríguez described Maria’s voice as nonchalant, graceful, and unique. She always interpreted the song she was playing in a new, creative way.
Maria’s explosive popularity contributed to an increase in the popularity of Cuban music worldwide.
In 1962, Maria had to retire due to illness. By then, she had solidified herself as a legend in Cuban music and a source of admiration for a rising movement of “neo-traditionalist” trova musicians.
Three years later, in 1965, Maria Teresa Vera passed away. In 1995, the album À Maria Teresa Vera was released to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday.
The Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés called Maria Teresa, “the embodiment of Cuban song." And it’s true -- she’s still known as the grande dame of Cuban music. Though trova was soon overtaken by other popular music trends, Maria’s fame and popularity stands to this day.
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As always, we’ll be taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you Monday!