1. Cuba dentro de un piano
2. Chévere
3. Punto de habanera
4. Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito
5. Canto negro

Canción de cuna: 18-03-1945 - Mercè Plantada, soprano. Pere Vallribera, piano. Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona. 

Complete premiere: 14-06-1945 - Mercè Plantada, soprano. Pere Vallribera, piano. Ateneu Barcelonès, Barcelona.

Poems by Rafael Alberti, Nicolás Guillén, Néstor Luján and Idelfonso Pereda-Valdés.

Comments

"Montsalvatge has left with these songs de stamp of a naturaly, exceptionaly gifted musician."

Regino Sainz de la Maza.

"The "antillanisme" of Montsalvatge represents a valid alternative to the neoclassicism of the Spain of the times; teh polytonal dimension, the suggestive character, anti-academicism, irony and tenderness that appear in his work saved him from this difficult obstacle, and also supposed an impressive succes for his career, as well as a starting point to achieve the essential core of his style"

Manuel Valls.

"Such a masterpiece, Cinco Canciones Negras, by Xavier Montsalvatge whose arrangement for orchestra was from 1949. More than just ephemeral "antillanismo", the work shines with its melodic grace, its sonorous flexibility and exquisite orchestration that is much more than a Ravelian reflection as is often pretended. Its attractive lyrics (Alberti, Luján, Pereda Valdés and Nicolás Guillén (two)), have good critical weight, that becomes ever more obvious and which the music not only doesn't hide, but underscores masterfully. It is probably the author's most universal work and also of the Spanish 50s. Still very much alive, it was sung with great expressivity and understanding by Nancy Fabiola Herrera to whom not even the face-mask could take away from her voice."

Tomás Marco, Febrer 2021.