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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 26-50 of 88 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 82047 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Contestación a Tímidez : Canción María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82048 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Mi viaje a Pogolotti : Rumba María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82049 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Óyelo bien, Rubén : Rumba María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82050 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Mujer perjura : Bolero María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82070 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Clara Luz : Bolero Floro y Cruz Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82071 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Los tres patriotas : Clave Floro y Cruz Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82074 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Fao Wenceslao : Rumba Floro y Cruz Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82075 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Cristantemo : Vals Floro y Cruz Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82076 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 A Rosa Floro y Cruz Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82144 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Linda mulata : Guaracha Viañez & Corona Vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82145 10-in. 1918 Qué malas son las mujeres : Rumba Viañez & Corona Vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82147 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Nicomedes Corcobea : Canción Viañez & Corona Vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82148 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Corona y Rubén en las trincheras : Rumba Viañez & Corona Vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82149 10-in. either 1917 or 1918 Negrita angelical : Canción Viañez & Corona Vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82624 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Longina : Melodea Manuel Corona ; María Teresa Vera Female-male vocal duet, with guitar vocalist, composer  
Columbia 82625 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Mis lágrimas María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82640 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Edelmira : Bolero Manuel Corona ; María Teresa Vera Female-male vocal duet, with guitar vocalist, composer  
Columbia 82641 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Alejandrina : Bolero Manuel Corona ; María Teresa Vera Female-male vocal duet, with guitar vocalist, composer  
Columbia 82642 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Eva moderna : Bolero María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82643 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Rayos de plata : Bolero María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82644 10-in. 1919 or 1920 Morita Bayamesa María Teresa y Zequeira Vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82647 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Santa Cecilia : Melodía María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82648 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Te acuerdas María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Columbia 82659 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Cuanto reniego Manuel Corona ; María Teresa Vera Female-male vocal duet, with guitar vocalist  
Columbia 82661 10-in. either 1919 or 1920 Yo moriré : Bolero María Teresa y Zequeira Female-male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
(Results 26-50 of 88 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Corona, Manuel," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116684.

Corona, Manuel. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116684.

"Corona, Manuel." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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