Those who have seen the new book trailer for La Belle Créole have probably noticed the song performed throughout the video. A pianist plays at a grand piano while a soprano sings an emotional, Spanish-like song in a beautiful room in an early nineteenth-century house. The general idea is a recreation of a performance at […]

What can one say about Cuban music? The island’s rhythms are as closely identified with Cuba as are its sugar, rum, cigars and palm trees. This play list is based on some of the songs which formed an inspiring soundtrack for chronicling Mercedes’ Havana days. While some of these songs are quite well known, I […]

Mercedes and her sister Pepita loved to dance, sing and play Spanish dances and songs. They learned the traditional music, including the popular fandangos, seguidillas and boleros. The sisters happily played piano, flashed their castanets and dressed up as typical majas to do their dances. Mercedes never lost her love for these Spanish airs, and […]