On November 26th, Merengue, the Dominican rhythm par excellence, celebrates its national holiday. It is one of the world’s most famous indigenous rhythms of Latin America.
Since its emergence in the 19th century as a dance rhythm, it has gone through a multitude of variations, spurred by the introduction of new instruments and, in recent years, a variety of rhythmic fusions.
The piano was a key instrument in the modernization of rhythm. The teacher and pianist Julio Alberto Hernández (1900-1999), who, together with other highly qualified musicians and experts in the international music movement, transformed the rural merengue or Perico Ripiao into a ballroom merengue structured on the basis of a large orchestra in the Big style Band, but maintaining the original rhythmic basis.
The first merengue in music history was recorded on an acetate record in a piano version entitled “Santiago”, which he composed in 1927 in honor of this city.
Another great pianist who helped give merengue a more urban look was Luis Alberti (1906-1976), author of popular songs and meringues such as the emblematic “Compadre Pedro Juan”.
He also worked on changing the structure of an orchestra with trumpets, piano and saxophone, reintroducing merengue into the halls of Dominican high society. Author of “Compadre Pedro Juan” is the most widespread and preserved merengue in the history of the musical genre.
One of the first to bring merengue to the international market was the pianist Francisco Simó Damirón (1908-1992).
Since 1932 he brought Merengue to various parts of the world, becoming a pioneer in the international spread of this rhythm. He initially formed a pair with Negrito Chapuseaux and the Panamanian Silvia de Grasse and so they formed the group Los Alegres Tres, which filled an entire era inside and outside the Dominican Republic. Simó Damirón is the composer of “Dolorita”, “La Empalizá” and “La Maricutana” as well as 300 other merengues.
IN THE ARCH OF THE RHYTHM
Over the years, Merengue welcomed great leaders who changed its history. Among them were pianists who led merengue orchestras and became symbols of Dominican rhythm between the recording of songs and the performance of choirs.
Among the most popular are Rafael Solano Ramón Orlando, Dioni Fernández, Aníbal Bravo, Bonny Cepeda, Chuky Acosta, Henry Hierro, Jerry Vargas, Belkis Concepción and Henry Jimenez.
Coqui Acosta, Ringo Martínez, Darys Darys, Nicolas Marlin, Freddy Gerardo, Jerry Vargas, Belkis Concepción and Darys Darys also join (the list is longer).
Ramón Orlando Valoy, one of the best-known merengue arrangers and composers, started as a teenager in his father Cuco Valoy’s orchestra.
At the age of 16 he already distinguished himself by playing the piano, singing and dancing.
He composed and recorded his own merengues until he had a discography with more than 30 albums and hundreds of merengue musical arrangements.
Orlando was one of the first merengueros to receive the highest honors from the Association of Art Chroniclers, Acroarte, “El Gran Soberano,” “El Gordo del Año,” and “El Gran Dorado.”
Dioni Fernández founded a merengue school in the Dominican Republic.
The teacher Dioni Fernández He has dozens of musical arrangements in his work. He has the peculiarity that, although he did not record Persian merengue with his voice, his choirs, his image and the transformation of his orchestra into a school of merengue players made him one of the main figures of merengue due to the contributions to the rhythm.
His orchestra was a school for Sergio Vargas, Carlos David, Pablo Martinez, Charlie Rodríguez, Diomedes Nuñez and Kaky Vargas.
Bonny Cepeda is in the middle of a scandal because she admitted that she sang for Nicolás Maduro and was paid $60,000 for it.
With the arrival of Bonny Cepeda and orchestra The rhythm shines on the market with new arrangements. He was the first Dominican to be nominated for an Anglo-Saxon Grammy for his album “Noche de disco”. Singer, composer and arranger.
Bonny has a discography of around 30 merengue albums. He is known for his meringues in the United States, Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Europe.
The Conjunto Quisqueya is a merengue classic.
Chuky Acosta, native of Higüey, pianist, singer and arranger of the hits of Conjunto Quisqueya. On his shoulders he has dozens of musical arrangements, especially Christmas carols, very popular among Dominicans.
In the ’80s, pianist Henry Hierro stormed in with his La Gran Manzana orchestra, exported from New York, along with his brother Willie Hierro and Víctor Roque, marking one of the best merengue harvests.
Aníbal Bravo presented: “I have already freed myself.” ARCHIVE
Anibal Bravo He also distinguished himself as a pianist, arranger and singer. His group included the late Jochy Hernández, Félix Cumbé, Peter Cruz and Boby Rafael “La Bobina”.
Jerry Vargas was another merengue pianist, singer and arranger who, in his 65 years of life, left a glorious stage as one of the most popular merengue players of the 1980s, a period in which he became known by the nickname “The Nazarene.”
Belkis Concepción stood out as a woman at the piano of a merengue orchestra.
Belki’s Concepcion She was also a pianist and merengue singer and excelled in founding a group of female musicians. In the 80s he also defined an era with his special meringues.
To Henry Jimenez He is known as the “Savior of Merengue”. In recent decades, the rhythm’s power has been partly the result of his work and talent, first with his group and now as an accompanist to Miriam Cruz.