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CHAPTER 34
The Italian Legacy
in Dominican Music and Culture
By Blanca Delgado Malagón
Researcher
•
he term legacy, used figuratively, refers to something inherited, or even something spiritual passed
on from those who lived before (“the legacy of Rome,” for example).
By extension, its meaning can encompass exemplary manifestations, whether individual or col-
lective, which have served as milestones in the history of a given people.
The Patronage of an Italian: Anselmo Copello
At the end of the nineteenth century, the Santiago region, favored by the benefits derived from the large-scale
production of Dominican tobacco destined mainly for the European market, witnessed an influx of Italian
nationals seeking a better life on Dominican soil.
Anselmo Copello (1879), a native of Santa Margherita Ligure (Genoa), who settled at a young age in San-
tiago de los Caballeros, would soon adopt the thriving Cibao as his small homeland. In that city he worked
with his brother José in the La Habanera cigar and cigarette factory—later converted into Compañía Anónima
Tabacalera—where he climbed the ranks to the position of president, and where he excelled for his spirit of
service and his actions as an innovative entrepreneur.
Among his many charitable initiatives, Anselmo Copello in 1930 created the Santiago Philharmonic Or-
chestra—under the direction of maestro Julio Alberto Hernández—a 30-member institution, which brought
together the most outstanding figures of the classical musical scene of that time, most notably, Juan Francisco
García, Pepé Echavarría, Luis Alberti, Max Guzmán, Morito Sánchez, Juan Sánchez, Pablo Bornia, César Pa-
checo, Antonio Pereyra, Oscar García, Arcadio Aybar, Bruno García, Apolinar Bueno, and Piro Valerio.
Due to the generous patronage of Anselmo Copello, this important nucleus of Dominican musicians was
able to enjoy economic stability, which helped to provide the favorable climate that, in turn, led to the birth of
several fundamental works in the Dominican musical repertoire. Anselmo Copello’s contributions to Santiago
society were indeed numerous, and to honor his memory, one of the streets of the city bears his name.
Dominican Musicians of Italian Descent
During the long period of recurrent political instability that plagued the Dominican Republic in the late nine-
teenth and early twentieth centuries, official attention to music as an instrument of collective education began
to gain in importance, in large part through the consolidation of military bands, which were transformed into
true “symphonic groups,” as they were mostly made up of the best musicians of that time.