José Juventino Policarpo Rosas Cadenas (1868-1894) was a Mexican violinist and composer. His waltz On the waves became his most recognized work, although it was not until years later that attention was paid to the musician's life. For decades the name of the work sounded much more than the name of the author of it.
The popularity of this composition was undoubtedly seeing it as a clear intersection between Europe and Mexico, since waltzes were not part of Mexican musical culture. Rosas had neither the recognition nor the earnings she deserved for her while she was alive, given the difficulty she had in launching her career due to her clear indigenous background.
Source: commons wikimedia
Biography
Juventino Rosas was born on January 25, 1868 in Santa Cruz de Guanajato. This city acquired the name of Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosas in 1939. He was born into a poor family bosom, his parents being José de Jesús Rosas and Paula Cadenas.
His musical talent was something innate since his father was a military musician who played the harp. His other brothers, Manuel and Patrocinio, also reflected that gift for music.
One of the best known anecdotes of the artist is that at the age of twelve he composed a waltz that he exchanged for a pair of shoes. Juventino's father believed that forming a musical group would be a good opportunity to get ahead in a time as difficult as the one experienced in small Mexican towns.
He taught music to his children and they began to play at events such as weddings and baptisms. Manuel on guitar, Juventino on violin, his daughter Patrocinio as singer and himself with his harp.
Mexico City
However, despite their outstanding talent, their little recognition in the locality in which they lived was not enough to survive, so they decided to emigrate to Mexico City.
Their dream of gaining fame and prestige fell apart when they noticed that their indigenous features were an obstacle to achieving national, and perhaps later international, recognition.
Even so, they did not give up and continued to work hard, although the sudden death of their brother Manuel in a neighborhood fight would give an unexpected turn to the family's musical career.
Angela Peralta
The group dissolved and now Juventino had to look for new job opportunities. At the age of 15, he joined the orchestra of the well-known singer Ángela Peralta who performed in the interior of the country.
However, this collaboration did not last long as the band disintegrated due to the death of some of its members caused by a cholera epidemic.
Studies
After this hard blow for the young Juventino, he returned to Mexico City, where again he was doing street performances that allowed him to collect enough money to enter the Conservatory of Music of Mexico in 1885.
His entry was due in part to the recommendation made by Dr. Manuel M. Espejel, who exercised great influence in Mexico City given his position. Espejel knew Juventino's gift for music from having heard him play the violin in a meeting.
There he began to learn the technique necessary to play the violin and other instruments, as well as develop his gift for composition. He seemed to have had a stroke of luck, but everything changed unexpectedly.
That same year he had to leave the conservatory due to the death of his parents and his sister in an accident. Juventino was alone and in misery, which led him to take refuge in alcohol. Looking for a new way to support himself, he entered a military college, from which he dropped out shortly after due to the rigid discipline required.
His solo career
After leaving the military college and with the knowledge acquired in the conservatory, he began to play for wealthy classes and participated in the commemoration of the battle of Puebla at the National Theater.
In this performance there were illustrious people who noticed the young musician and who were interested in lending him their support to launch him to stardom. However, his addiction to alcohol made him miss this great opportunity.
It was then when he began to hit the air looking for bands and orchestras with which to collaborate and be able to survive in some way. These were difficult times in which to deal with misery and alcoholism.
But Juventino's gift for music was evident and despite everything, a group of friends helped him integrate into a famous musical group in which he would be a director and violinist.
Thanks to this group, he began to become famous in high places as they performed in select places that only the most glamorous and sophisticated in society had access.
It was in honor of Calixta Gutiérrez de Alfaro, the wife of one of the owners of these premises, that Juventino composed the waltz 'Along the spring', which would later become known as 'Sobre las waves', his most famous work.
Death
A short time later, a renowned zarzuela company hired him and he moved with her to Cuba, in order to start a new life after the abandonment of his wife, Juana Morales. It was in that country where he died at the age of 26 from spinal myditis.
His work
Although Juventino is recognized today for his famous waltz 'On the waves', there have been many works that he has left as a legacy. These are some:
- Carmen. A waltz in honor of Carmen Romero Rubio, wife of General Porfirio Díaz, who was president of Mexico.
- Juanita. A mazurka dedicated to the love of her life, who abandoned her at the height of her career.
- I do not remember. Also thinking about his ex-wife, he created this musical composition with which he himself wanted to deceive himself by telling himself that he did not remember her.
Other recognized works, although their inspiration is not known, are:
- The Dream of Flowers.
- Seductive daydream.
- Seductive dream.
- Eve.
- Youth Illusions.
- Flowers of Mexico
Juventino Rosas undoubtedly had a difficult life, and a very short one, but his music will continue to accompany Mexico forever. He also left his mark in Cuba where he was buried with an epigraph on his tombstone that read:
His remains, expatriated by the Government of Mexico in 1909, today rest in the Rotunda of Illustrious Persons of the country.
References
- . Iai.spk-berlin.de. 2019.
- Juventino Rosas - Composer Biography, Facts and Music Compositions. FAMOUS COMPOSERS. 2019.
- Juventino Rosas, beyond the waltz «On the waves». The universal. 2019.
- On the waves. Es.wikipedia.org. 2019.
- Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico. Sacm.org.mx. 2019.