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Manuel Corona

Manuel Corona Raimundo (17 June 1880, in Caibarién – 9 January 1950 in Marianao, Havana) was a Cuban trova musician, and a long-term professional rival of Sindo Garay.

He came to Havana when the Cuban War of Independence broke out, and worked as a bootblack and a cigar-roller. His supervisor at the cigar factory taught him the guitar, and in 1905 he set up in a café in the red-light district of San Isidro. The district was controlled by the chulo (pimp) Alberto Yarini (1882–1910), who became famous for introducing French prostitutes (putas francesas) willing to perform more salacious acts than even the Cubans were used to. The francesas cut heavily into the profits of the Cuban putas, and the result was a gang war in which Yarini was killed.

Corona was present through all this, playing and singing to the punters, whores and pimps. He and one of the girls developed a love affair, and soon enough her pimp was on his trail. In a line that might have come from "Frankie and Johnny", Corona said later "She was a whore, and she had her man, but I liked her." The pimp came after him with a knife, and a cut to his hand prevented him playing the guitar again. From then on he lived from his compositions.

He wrote hundreds of compositions, some of them amongst the finest examples of Cuban sentiment, such as Mercedes, Longina, Santa Cecilia and Aurora. Guarachas such as El servicio obligatorio (National Service) and Acelera, Ñico, acelera were topical comments. La habanera was a deliberate reply to Garay's La bayamesa. Corona died in poverty.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 17, 1880 (Caibarién), Died 1950 (Havana)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913 - 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, vocalist, guitar

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 88 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-13271 10-in. 5/12/1913 El río Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Victor B-13286 10-in. 5/13/1913 Solo suspiro Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Victor B-13288 10-in. 5/13/1913 Te ví primero Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Victor B-16236 10-in. 7/26/1915 Herminia Floro Zorrilla Male vocal solo, with guitar composer  
Victor BVE-59510 10-in. 3/6/1930 Nubes de ensueno Dueto Bobadilla Brito Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor G-1598 10-in. 10/23/1916 Caruso del solar Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1599 10-in. 10/23/1916 Rafael y su mujer Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1600 10-in. 10/23/1916 Josefa Floro Zorrilla Male vocal solo, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1601 10-in. 10/23/1916 ¡Qué bigotes tiene Gil! Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1624 10-in. 10/24/1916 El biplano Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1625 10-in. 10/24/1916 La matancera Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1626 10-in. 10/24/1916 Los ángeles Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1627 10-in. 10/24/1916 Las mulatas de Bombay Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-1628 10-in. 10/24/1916 Fuga de amor Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2604 10-in. 2/8/1918 Amalia Batista Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2605 10-in. 2/8/1918 Carmelina mira, tuyo soy corazón Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2606 10-in. 2/8/1918 Mi nena Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2607 10-in. 2/8/1918 Mujer bandolera Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2608 10-in. 2/8/1918 Voy a patinar con mi novia Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2609 10-in. 2/8/1918 Rosa, qué linda eres Sexteto Habanero Godínez Vocal and instrumental sextet vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Victor G-2705 10-in. 2/23/1918 Mulata sandunguera Floro y Cruz Male vocal duet, with guitar instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia 37812 10-in. between 1906 and 1913 A mi yaya Floro y Higinio Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 48012 10-in. between 1913 and 1917 Mercedes : Criolla Villamil y Vilches Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 48014 10-in. between 1913 and 1917 Se rompló la máquina : Rumba Villamil y Vilches Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 48327 10-in. approximately 1917 Mi pecho y mi alma : Bolero Pepe Luis ; Miguel Zaballa Vocal duet with guitar composer  
(Results 1-25 of 88 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Corona, Manuel," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116684.

Corona, Manuel. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116684.

"Corona, Manuel." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116684

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