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Home <https://nacla.org/> > Blogs <https://nacla.org/blog> > ejpa's blog<https://nacla.org/blogs/ejpa>> Guántanamera, Courtesy of the U.S.-Cuban Embargo ------------------------------ Guántanamera, Courtesy of the U.S.-Cuban Embargo July 20, 2012 Rebel Currents <https://nacla.org/blog/rebel-currents> [1] Like millions of Americans, I learned the iconic Cuban song (and unofficial Cuban national anthem) *Guántanamera*<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamera> [2] from Pete Seeger in the 1960s, with its inspiring lyrics by the revolutionary poet *José Martí.*<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD> [3] Last weekend, at a reunion of Camp Woodlanda progressive summer camp that operated during the 1940s and 50s in upstate New YorkI discovered that we have the U.S. embargo of Cuba to thank for that. It turns out that Pete, who sang the song with us again at the reunion, learned *Guántanamera* from a Woodland counselor named Héctor Angulo during Seegers annual visit to camp in 1962. Héctor, a budding musician from Santa Clara, Cuba, had won a scholarship from the new revolutionary government in 1959 to study at the Manhattan School of Music. With the break in U.S.Cuban relations and the beginnings of the embargo, Héctors financial situation had deteriorated, but he feared that going home would prevent his return to complete his studies. Hence, the summer job at Woodland.[image: 1153] Cuban composer Héctor Angulo. Credit: EcuRed My friend Dick Clustera translator of Cuban literature and essays, co-author of the *History of Havana*<http://us.macmillan.com/thehistoryofhavana/DickCluster> [4], and author of the forthcoming translation of Aida Bahrs *Ophelias*<http://www.csuchico.edu/cubanabooks/> [5]did some more research on the subject. It seems that the original music and verses (about a woman from Guantánamo) are generally attributed to José Fernández Diez, who popularized the song in his 1930s radio show called* La * *Guántanamera. *The updated version using Martís poem as lyrics is credited to Spanish composer Julián Orbón (1925-1991), who lived in Havana between 19401960 and was Héctors teacher at the Manhattan School of Music. Martí composed the *Versos Sencillos* (Simple Verses), which provide the lyrics to *Guántanamera,* in the Catskill mountains in 1891, not far from Camp Woodland. He was sent there by his doctor to recuperate, after organizing tirelessly for Cuban independence and against U.S. expansionism in Cuba (the U.S. at the time was considering purchasing Cuba from Spain). Martí also had an important connection to Guantánamo, which is near the point where he and several comrades disembarked in 1895 in their failed attempt to spark a revolutionary uprising. He was later killed in the Battle of Dos Rios. Today *Héctor Angulo* <http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/H%C3%A9ctor_Angulo> [6] is a well-known composer of chamber, choral, and orchestral music in Cuba. You can hear an audiotape of the event where Héctor teaches *Guántanamera *to Pete, recorded 50 years ago on July 15, 1962, in the *Camp** Woodland**archives *<http://luna.albany.edu/luna/servlet/detail/UALBANYSCA~14~14~61669~107205:Norman-Studer?qvq=q:nam_apap_116_063_01;lc:UALBANYVRL%7E6%7E6,UALBANYUAM%7E16%7E16,UALBANYSCA%7E14%7E14,UALBANYVRL%7E3%7E3,UALBANYSCA%7E16%7E16&mi=0&trs=1> [7] (starting around minute 35). ------------------------------ *Emily Achtenberg is an urban planner and the author of NACLAs weekly blog Rebel Currents, covering Latin American social movements and progressive governments (nacla.org/blog/rebel-currents [1]).* Tags: - Camp Woodland <https://nacla.org/category/tags/camp-woodland> [8] - Cuba <https://nacla.org/category/tags/cuba> [9] - Guántanamera <https://nacla.org/category/tags/gu%C3%A1ntanamera> [10] - Héctor Angulo <https://nacla.org/category/tags/h%C3%A9ctor-angulo> [11] - José Martí <https://nacla.org/category/tags/jos%C3%A9-mart%C3%AD> [12] - Pete Seeger <https://nacla.org/category/tags/pete-seeger> [13] NACLA | 38 GREENE ST. 4TH FL., NEW YORK NY 10013 | TEL: (646) 613-1440 | FAX (646) 613-1443 ------------------------------ *Source URL:* https://nacla.org/blog/2012/7/20/gu%C3%A1ntanamera-courtesy-us-cuban-embargo *Links:* [1] https://nacla.org/blog/rebel-currents [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamera [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD [4] http://us.macmillan.com/thehistoryofhavana/DickCluster [5] http://www.csuchico.edu/cubanabooks/ [6] http://www.ecured.cu/index.php/H%C3%A9ctor_Angulo [7] http://luna.albany.edu/luna/servlet/detail/UALBANYSCA%7E14%7E14%7E61669%7E107205:Norman-Studer?qvq=q:nam_apap_116_063_01;lc:UALBANYVRL%7E6%7E6,UALBANYUAM%7E16%7E16,UALBANYSCA%7E14%7E14,UALBANYVRL%7E3%7E3,UALBANYSCA%7E16%7E16&mi=0&trs=1 [8] https://nacla.org/category/tags/camp-woodland [9] https://nacla.org/category/tags/cuba [10] https://nacla.org/category/tags/gu%C3%A1ntanamera [11] https://nacla.org/category/tags/h%C3%A9ctor-angulo [12] https://nacla.org/category/tags/jos%C3%A9-mart%C3%AD [13] https://nacla.org/category/tags/pete-seeger [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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