Braulio Dueño Colon
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Braulio Dueño Colon (March 26, 1854 – April 4, 1934) was born in the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico and was a renowned musician and composer.
At a young age Dueño's father, who also loved music, taught him the basics of music and served as his inspiration. Dueño took music classes with the "Maestro" Aruti, with whom he learned about composition and harmony.
Normally, when an Opera or Zarzuela company visited Puerto Rico, they would hire a local orchestra to play their musical scores. When Dueño was a young man he would look for a job to play the flute in many of these orchestras.
In 1879, He composed the music for the Zarzuela "Los Baños de Coamo" (The Bathes of Coamo)" which was originally written by Genaro de Arazamendi.
Dueño participated in many literary-musical contests in the Ateneo Puertorriqueño. He won many prizes and honors for his compositions; amongst the pieces honoured were:
- His Overture "La Amistad" (1877) (Friendship);
- "Sinfonia Dramatica" (Dramatic Symphony);
- "Noche de Otoño" (1887)(Nights of Fall); and
- "Estudio sobre la Danza Puertorriqueña" (1914) (A Study of the Puerto Rican Danzas).
However, it was for series of the "Canciones Escolares" (1912) (School Songs), which were co-written with Virgilio Dávila and Manuel Fernandez Juncos, that would give him lasting recognition as one of Puerto Rico's greatest composers. The "Canciones Escolares" not only won the highest honors in the Ateneo but, was also acclaimed and honored at the Pan-American Exposition of 1901. The "Canciones Escolares" became an important part of the Puerto Rican Culture.
Braulio Dueño Colon lived most of his life in the City of Bayamon where he died on April 4, 1934.
The City of Bayamon has honored the memory of Braulio Dueño Colon by naming a school, a suburb and even the municipal cemetery after him.
