Odilio Urfé (1921-1988)

Cuba | Performer, conductor, musicologist

BIOGRAPHY

A strong proponent of Cuban popular music, Odilio Urfé lead a diverse musical career as a performer, conductor, and musicologist. He studied piano at the Conservatorio Municipal de La Habana under María Luisa Chartrand, and subsequently performed as a pianist and flautist in several ensembles, including the La Orquesta Gris and La Orquesta de Cámara del Conservatorio Municipal de La Habana. In his musicological work, Urfé focused on the decolonization of Cuban music and Cuban music in contemporary social contexts, and his work often intersected with concepts in philosophy, sociology, and anthropology. In addition, he extensively researched various facets of Cuban popular music, particularly the development of the danzón, rumba, and canción. In 1949, Urfé founded El Instituto de Investigaciones Folklóricas, later renamed the Seminario de Música Popular Cubana in 1963 and Centro de Información y Promoción de la Música Cubana Odilio Urfé in 1988. In his role as a music director, Urfé founded and served as the director of La Orquesta Odilio Urfé and El Piquete Típico Cubano, both of which specialized in performing Cuban popular music and dances.

SELECT RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT IU-BLOOMINGTON LIBRARIES

BOOKS

Urfé, Odilio. “Claudio José Domingo Brindis de Salas.” In AfroCuba: an anthology of Cuban writing on race, politics and culture, ed.  Jesús Gómez Cairo. La Habana : Andante editora musical de cuba, 2006.

Gómez Cairo, Jesús, Música Cubana: Algunos Procesos, Creaciones y Figuras Paradigmáticas. La Habana: Andante editora musical de cuba, 2006.

Photo: Odilio Urfé with Beny Moré, Jaime Sarusky, and Julio Díaz

Photo: Odilio Urfé (center) with Beny Moré (front), Jaime Sarusky (left), and Julio Díaz (right)

AUDIO RECORDINGS

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Alexander Street Press

"Se Rompió la Máquina” (Odilio Urfé y su Charanga Folklórica)

"Linda cubana"

"Liliana"

YouTube

Elmarakazo, “ Nostalgia Cubana - Fefita"

INTERVIEWS

Nicomedes Santa Cruz, “Entrevista a Odilio Urfé de Nicomedes Santa Cruz. La Habana (Cuba). 27 de Junio de 1986.” (in Spanish)

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works Authored or Coauthored by Odilio Urfé 

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Lapique Becali, Zoila, Odilio Luis Urfé González, Miguel Barnet, Isaac Barreal, and Rogelio Martínez Furé. “Valiosas Opiniones Sobre El Maestro de Todos.” Clave, no. 8 (January 1988): 6–8.  (RILM)

León, Argeliers, and Odilio Luis Urfé González. Música Folklore: Danzón. La Habana: Consejo Nacional de Cultura, Coordinación Provincial Habana, 1976. (RILM)

Urfé González, Odilio Luis. “Music and Dance in Cuba.” In Africa in Latin America: Essays on History, Culture, and Socialization, 170–88. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1984. (RILM)

Urfé, Odilio (1982). "La música folklórica, popular y del teatro cubano". Journal of Caribbean Studies 3 (1--2), 177.

Periodicals

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New York Amsterdam News

"Caribbean Expressions Festival Schedule: Concert Presentations." New York Amsterdam News, Aug 30, 1980. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)

"Diaspora Reveals Culture of Africa and Caribbean." New York Amsterdam News (1962-1993), Sep 15, 1979. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)

Journal Articles

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Delgado Miranda, Rolando. “Centro de Información y Documentación Musical Odilio Urfé y La Documentación Musical En Cuba.” AEDOM: Boletín de La Asociación Española de Documentación Musical 4, no. 2 (July 1997): 108–18. (RILM)

Delgado Miranda, Rolando. “Fifty Years at the Service of Cuban Music.” IASA Journal, no. 14 (December 1999): 53–56 (RILM)

Gómez Cairo, Jesús (01/01/1989). "De paciencia y pasiones: El Seminario de la Música Popular cumple 40 años". Clave (14), 7.

Hernández, Yohana Ortega. "An Approach to the Cuban Institutions that Hold Documents Related to Musical Heritage." Fontes Artis Musicae 65, no. 2 (2018): 77-86. (JSTOR)

Cairo, Jesús Gómez.“Dos enfoques sobre géneros de la música cubana: Odilio Urfé y Argeliers León.” Clave 12, no. 1 (2010), 28-49. (Casa de las Américas)