"Tristezas" (1883)
Our story begins on the eastern tip of Cuba, in the province once known as Oriente, where a generation of troubadours planted the seeds of the pan-Latin music we now know as the bolero. It was the end of the 19th century, a time of great cultural exchange with the other Antilles, which at the time were all part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Cuba was still fifteen years away from independence when José "Pepe" Sanchez (1856-1918) [Orovio 1981: 441] penned what is widely accepted as the first bolero, "Tristezas" in 1883.
The first existing recording of the song is said to date back to 1906 on RCA records, although the quality of the recording suggests it was recorded later.
The piano playing sounds like Ernesto Lecuona, although he would have been just 11-years old at the time and living in Havana not Santiago. It's therefore unlikely that he and Sánchez would have had any contact - which is not to say that this could not be him on the recording if it was in fact recorded later and simply mis-labeled.
Regardless of who is playing piano, it is an odd choice for a first recording (and therefore unlikely that it was the first) because it does not feature harmonized singing or guitars - two salient features of early bolero.
Sánchez was a trovador (troubadour) from Santiago de Cuba. During the late 19th century, trovadores were particularly prevalent in eastern Cuba (while orquestas) prevailed in Havana. These trovadores were songwriters who accompanied themselves on guitar and sometimes played in duos, quintets, or sextets. Sánchez was primarily a guitarist and led the Quinteto Pepe Sánchez, pictured below.
The song, "Tristezas" is written in binary form and has the following lyrics (although no original sheet music is available).
(A)
Tristezas me dan tus quejas, mujer,
profundo dolor que dudes de mí,
no hay prueba de amor que deje entrever
cuánto sufro y padezco por ti.
(B)
La suerte es adversa conmigo,
no deja ensanchar mi pasión.
Un beso me diste un día,
lo guardo en mi corazón
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- The Bolero Jeannelle Ramirez
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