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Antonio María Romeu Marrero (Jibacoa, Cuba, 11 September 1876 – Havana 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.〔Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario encyclopédico de la música en Cuba''. vol 4, La Havana. p84〕 == Life & work == Romeu studied music in 1884 with Joaquín Mariano Martínez, and practiced the piano at a local church by the beach in Jibacoa. At twelve he played at his first dance, and composed his first work. In 1899 he moved to Havana and played in cafés. He was invited to play in the ''Orquesta Cervantes'', one of several charangas founded at the beginning of the 1900s. Charangas supplanted the típicas as the standard instrumental line-up for the danzón. Initially called ''charangas francesas'' (though they have nothing to do with France), they were 'invented' at the start of the 20th century. The basic idea was to pitch the tone of the orchestra higher and brighter than the típica, by removing the brass, replacing the clarinet with a flute and replacing the kettle drums with a new invention, the ''pailas criollas'', now called timbales. The ''Orquesta Cervantes'' is the earliest known charanga to have included a piano. Romeu founded his own orchestra in 1910. The initial line-up for ''Orchestra Romeu'' was: Romeu (piano); Feliciano Facenda (violin); Alfredo Valdés (flute); Rafael Calazán (double bass); Remigio Valdés (timbal); Juan de la Merced (güiro): quite a small group. By the 1920s the orchestra included Francisco Delabart (flute); Augusto Valdés (clarinet); Juan Quevedo (violin); Aurelio Valdés and Félix Vásquez (güiro); Antonio Ma. Romeu (son, violin); Pedro Hernández (violin); Dihigo (trumpet); Regueira (trombone) and José Antonio Díaz (flute). In the 1930s the orchestra added even more musicians, and became for a while a 'big band'. In wartime, with a diminution of tourism, the band reduced its size. The danzón had been, since its beginning in the 1870s, an instrumental genre, but by 1927 bands began to include a singer. The Romeu band had initially Fernando Collazo in the role, who was replaced by Barbarito Diez in 1935. From the beginning, and throughout his career, Romeu employed musicians of all racial types, as Cuban bands had done since at least 1800.〔Carpentier, Alejo 2001 (). ''Music in Cuba''. Minneapolis MN, p161.〕 When Romeu died, the orchestra was led for a while by his son, also Antonio María Romeu, then by Barbarito Diez. It still played the traditional danzón, but now was called the ''Orquesta de Barbarito Diez''.〔Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana''. La Habana. p283〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Antonio María Romeu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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