Juan Blanco and the Electroacoustic Music in Cuba
Juan Blanco was the first composer of electroacoustic music in Cuba.
For that he created his first piece in 1961 called “Dance Music”, which was produced with an oscillator and three common recorders.
After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 as a result of the hostile policy of blockade established by the United States against the island, great difficulties in accessing the necessary technology to produce electronic music was generated. However, in 1969 there was another Cuban composer Sergio Barroso, who devoted himself to the creation of electroacoustic musical compositions.
In 1970 Juan Blanco began working as a music consultant for the Propaganda Department of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP by its Spanish acronym).
In performing this function Juan Blanco created electronic music for all audiovisual materials produced by ICAP.
After nine years of work without payment, the composer obtained funding for the construction of an electroacoustic music studio that could be used for the production of his works.
Blanco was appointed as director of the study and after a few months it was opened for the use of all composers who were interested in working with electroacoustic technology.
In this way it is created the ICAP´s Electroacoustic Music Workshop, where he provided the necessary training to participants.
In 1990, the Workshop changed its name to the National Electroacoustic Music Laboratory (NEML) and its main objective was to support and promote the work of Cuban electronic music composers.
Electroacoustic Music in Cuba and Other Relevant Composers
After the 90 another study for the promotion of electroacoustic music in Cuba was created from the Superior Art Institute.
The of Electronic Music and Computers Study, now called Carlos Fariñas Study of Musical Art, is dedicated to electroacoustic composition providing training to students during the development of their careers.
After 1970 some Cuban composers such as Leo Brouwer, Jesus Ortega, Carlos Fariñas and Sergio Vitier began creating electroacoustic works.
In the early 80s there was another group of composers that included Edesio Alejandro, Fernando Rodriguez Alpizar (Archi), Marietta Véulens, Mirtha de la Torre, Miguel Bonachea and Julio Roloff.
This group began receiving instruction and work in the study of ICAP.
A long list of renowned Cuban composers had used the technology in its electro-acoustic compositions.
Here we must include Argeliers León, Juan Pinera, Roberto Valera, José Loyola, Ileana Perez Velazquez and Jose Angel Perez Puentes.
Other Cuban composers who settled abroad had an easier and direct access to the needed technology to produce electroacoustic works compared to the island access.
Within these composers who settled abroad we can find Aurelio de la Vega, Tania Leon, Orlando Jacinto Garcia and Armando Rodriguez Ruidíaz, among others.
