Ignacio Piñeiro Martínez was born in Havana in 1888. As a child, his family moved from the Jesús María neighborhood to the working-class Pueblo Nuevo, where he spent his childhood and primary school. It was there that he first developed an interest in music, joining the community’s children’s choirs. He is considered one of the most significant musicians in the history of Cuban music.
Before adopting music as a way of life, he worked from a very young age in various trades, including cooper, smelter, dock worker, cigar maker, and bricklayer. Alongside his professional life, Ignacio Piñeiro never ceased to assimilate the rhythms and songs of the African cabildos (coal drums) that existed in his neighborhood. In 1906, he was part of a harpsichord and guaguancó group.
He began his artistic career with the harpsichord and guaguancó group El Timbre de Oro as an improvising decima player. He led the well-known group Los Roncos for several years, taking his first steps as a composer. His popular rumbas include “Cuando tú desengaño veas” (When You See Disappointment), “Tomorrow I’ll Wait for You Girl,” and “Dónde Estabas Anoche” (Where Were You Last Night).
He was one of the founders of the Occidente sones sextet in 1926, under the direction of troubadour María Teresa Vera. Playing as a double bassist, he made his first tour of the United States to record an album with this group.
In 1927, he founded the Sexteto Nacional, serving as its director and playing double bass. That same year, he added the trumpet, played by Lázaro Herrera, transforming it into a Septet. With this instrumental format, he traveled to New York and recorded his first works there. He triumphantly led this group, still recognized today as the Septeto Nacional, until his death in 1969.
In 1929, the Septeto Nacional participated in the Seville Fair-Exposition in Spain. In Spain, they were hired as exclusive artists by the SEDECA company and toured other cities. They performed at the Torero and Jovellanos theaters, the Grado Cinema Theater, and the Maicú cabaret, all in Madrid. In 1930, they were one of the founders of the National Association of Cuban Soneros. They performed at the Sans-Souci cabaret (1930); in 1931, they appeared on the Lavín and CMCG radio stations; in 1932, they premiered “Buey viejo” at the Dos Hermanos Hotel. In 1933, they performed at the A Century of Progress Fair-Exposition, held in Chicago, United States.
During these years, Piñeiro created notable urban peasant songs: rumbas, laments, and sermons, including those titled: “Cuatro palomas,” “Estos no son cubanas,” “Échale salsita,” “Suavecito,” “No juegas con los santos,” among others.
As a composer, Ignacio Piñeiro broke away from the oriental son form, although he took elements from it. Its creators used the quatrain and the décima; an example of this break is his son Buey viejo (Old Buey), from 1932.
Piñeiro managed to capture, develop, and express the full richness of Son. His musical creations involved structural modifications, the use of cadence, rhythm, and the use of refined melodies and lyrics. These musical creations, performed by the Septeto Nacional, make it possible to affirm that the sonera work of this unique artist has become a son that we can now call a classic.