Tomás Rivera Morales
Tomás Rivera Morales, | |
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Also known as | "Maso Rivera" |
Born | November 13, 1927 Toa Alta, Puerto Rico |
Died | February 4, 2001 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Genres | Jíbaro music |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instrument(s) | Cuatro |
Tomás Rivera Morales,
Early years
Rivera was born in the barrio Galateo in the town of
While Rivera was in the sixth grade, his family found themselves in a difficult financial situation, and he was forced to leave school. He worked with his father on a farm, and helped his mother in a small family-owned store, where he found the time to play the cuatro. He was often asked by the local neighbors to play his instrument at parties and funerals.[2]
Musical career
When drafted into the United States Army in 1950, Rivera took along his cuatro instrument, with which he entertained the troops overseas during his free time. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army in 1954, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico.
Rivera began to write musical compositions, and his first was titled Sobre mis Colinas. He joined other musicians of typical genres from Puerto Rico, such as Florencio "Ramito" Morales Ramos, Jesús "Chuito de Bayamon" Sanchez Erazo, and Guzmán Rosario. He befriended Abelardo Díaz Alfaro, who played an important role in the development of his musical potential.[2]
Rafael Quiñones Vidal, a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television, became aware of Rivera's musical talent and introduced him to the Puerto Rican public via television and radio. Soon, he was serving as the master of ceremonies of various radio programs such as Maratón, La Infancia and Radio Borinquen.
In the mid-1950s, Rivera went on a musical tour with
Rivera composed more than 1,000 instrumental compositions for the cuatro, including the danzas "A mi Madre" and "Nélida", also the décima Lo que Dios me ha Dado.[1] His musical contributions were primarily in the fields of jibaro music, but he interpreted with equal dexterity most of the other Afro-Caribbean and Latin American genres popular in the last few decades.[2]
Later years
Rivera was very innovative using cuatros of different sizes and shapes called 'tiples'. While he was alive, Puerto Rican
Rivera died on February 4, 2001, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During his lifetime, he had been the subject of numerous tributes. After his death, his hometown of Toa Alta honored his memory by naming a middle school and the Municipal Theater after him, and by commissioning a statue in his likeness.[3]
In 2021 Tomás Rivera Morales was posthumously inducted to the Puerto Rico Veterans Hall of Fame.[4]
Musical compositions
External audio | |
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You may listen to Rivera play the "Cuatro" on YouTube . |
Among his many musical compositions were the following:
- Maso Rivera vs. Santos Rolón y sus Conjuntos de Cuerdas
- Maso Instrumental
- Felicitaciones Cantan: Juaniquillo, Paquito, y Luisito con Maso Rivera
- Trullando por San Juan con Maso Rivera y Nieves Quintero
- Mi Puerto Rico Querido: Maso Rivera y su Conjunto de Cuerdas
- Aguinaldos con Sinfonía: Canta el Indio de Bayamón con Maso Rivera
- Navidades con Maso Rivera y sus Conjuntos
- Maso Rivera Alegres Navidades Borincanas
- Maso Rivera: 60 Años de Música y Arte
See also
Notes
- Spanish name, the first or paternal surnameis Rivera and the second or maternal family name is Morales.