6.2 Most relevant musician of the 18th century. Esteban Salas.
Esteban Salas was the first and most important composer of the 18th century in Cuba, and for this reason, he is considered the starting point of Cuban religious music. Esteban Salas is the patron saint of early music in our country. He introduced European music to Cuba and demonstrated the difference between classical and popular music.
This important musician was born in Havana in 1725. From a very young age, his interest in music was evident. At just eight years old, he had become the triplet of the Major Parish, where he studied plainchant, violin, organ, counterpoint, and musical composition. He later entered the San Carlos Seminary (San Ignacio between Tejadillo and Empedrado, Old Havana, Havana City), where he studied philosophy, theology, and canon law.
Esteban Salas was appointed Interim Maestro at the age of 39. In 1764, he traveled to Santiago de Cuba to head the city’s Chapel of Music.
His lyrics were clear, making the scores more legible. In the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba (Heredia between San Félix and Santo Tomás, Santiago de Cuba), he produced astonishing musical work, creating a small classical orchestra and organizing highly demanding work for its singers and musicians. He fought to achieve improvements in the economic situation of local musicians.
Esteban Salas’s musical work is divided into two groups: religious and non-religious music, the former being the most extensive. He produced more than 140 works, including masses, motets, and carols. Many of his works have lyrics, so he was not only a musical virtuoso but also a great poet.
The most outstanding of his musical output are his Christmas Carols, in which he employed basso continuo, classical homophony, the Baroque concertante style, and counterpoint with fugal and canon passages. He composed his last carol for Christmas in 1801.
Esteban Salas died on July 14, 1803. The city of Santiago de Cuba gave his name to the Conservatory (Santa Lucia No. 304, San Félix y San Pedro, Santiago de Cuba) and celebrates a biannual International Choral Music Festival dedicated to this creator, while in Havana, the Esteban Salas Early Music Festival takes place every year to pay well-deserved tribute to this pioneer of Cuban classical music.
