Remembering Rafael Hernández

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 1997 by Max Salazar

If a vote for the most popular Puerto Rican was held at the beginning of 1940, song composer Rafael Hernández would have won easily. Song composer Pedro Flores, musicians Pedro Marcano, Augusto Coen, Daniel Santos, and Noro Morales couldn't compare with him. There's no doubt about it. I was seven years old in 1939 when I lived in Spanish Harlem, and a few events which make that year vivid for me are the World's Fair in Flushing, Queens, the world heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis getting up off the canvas to brutalize Tony Galento, the movie Wizard of Oz, and the Rafael Hernández tunes like Cachita, Preciosa, El Cumbanchero and Campanitas de cristal. Cachita was heard everywhere, on the streets, at house parties, weddings and dance halls. Xavier Cugat's hit version, sung by Machito, was a happy uptempo tune dancers enjoyed. Its tempo and lyrics were markedly different from the romantic and protest songs Hernández was known for.

According to his sister Victoria, the melodies and lyrics were a reflection of his moods at the time he composed them. If this premise is correct, he was happy when he wrote Cachita, El cumbanchero, Ahora seremos felices, Campanitas de cristal, Quatro personas, Buchi pluma na ma and Capullito de alleli. When cupid's arrow found his heart, he may have been inspired to write No me quieres tanto, Romance, Lo siento por ti, Corazon no llores, Tu no comprendes, Dos letras, Que te importe and Ausencia. He could not have been angry often since he only wrote a few protest songs. The emotional stirring lyrics of Preciosa, Los carreteros and Lamento borincano suggest he was a political activist. In none of the few hundred tunes he wrote does he raise blood pressures as he does in these tunes. The lyrics are a history of life's experience in Puerto Rico at the turn of the century. Hernández's lyrics are laments that protest colonial oppression and widespread poverty. There were no electric lights, running water from faucets, paved roads or modern transportation. After the sun disappeared from the sky, oil lamps provided light in the wooden shacks, water was fetched from wells or brooks, stage coaches traveled over bumpy roads and the deadly tropical diseases dictated an average life span of thirty-five.

Compared to New York City during 1916, Americans had already conquered tropical diseases, had running tap water, electric lights and trolley cars. Night life filled with entertainment and there existed restaurants where one ate a steak minutes after ordering it. New York City was 100 years ahead in technology. As a member of a U.S. Army military band, Hernández served in France and Germany during World War I. After the war he returned to Puerto Rico, left for New York and began composing songs that are now classics.

In mid 1928, his sister Victoria opened the Hernández Record store on Madison Avenue between 113 & 114 Streets. She sold 78s, pianola rolls, maracas, guitars and its strings. In a room at the back of the store there was a piano that was utilized to teach students. One summer day in 1929, Victoria urged Rafael to leave the room so she could instruct a student. Rafael took his guitar and a tin can of black coffee out onto the sidewalk, sat down near the edge of the curb, feet in gutter, tuned his guitar and began to sing and write lyrics on a piece of paper. Hernández's melodic phrases and lyrics arose from the heart of a lonely man separated from his beloved and could only satisfy his pangs of love through the guitar he held in his left arm while the fingers of his right hand searched the strings for the notes. The lyrics to the tune he composed that day suggest Hernández was hopelessly in love with an island in the Caribbean, its scenery, its folkways and all the abstract and intangibles of Puerto Rico, impossible to experience in East Harlem. While singing and playing his guitar, Hernández appeared to be able to mentally transport himself, vicariously, to his beloved Borinquen anytime he wanted to. Lamento borincano, perhaps the most popular of all Hernández compositions, was written on the sidewalk in front of the Hernández record store in 1929.

In 1937, while living in Mexico, he wrote Preciosa (Beautiful Puerto Rico), a song that caused controversy and resentment toward the American government. In 1947, Puerto Rico's Governor Muñoz Marin requested he change the lyric "del tirano la negra maldad" (the American tyrant's wickedness, a reference to the alleged American colonialism) to "del destino la negra maldad (the destiny of the wickedness)." Rafael Hernández was hailed a Puerto Rican hero by the government. There is much to this legend's life that must be said. On September 17, 1981, I interviewed Rafael's sister Victoria, at the time 74 years old, in her apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan. The following is the Rafael Hernández story in her own words.

VICTORIA HERNANDEZ:

Rafael was born on October 24, 1896, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. I was born in the same town on March 3, 1907. Our parents Maria and Gaspar had two other children, Jesús, whom we called "Pocholo," and Rosavida. The four of us were raised by my grandmother Chrisanta whom we called Tata. Rafael began studying music with my grandmother at age 10. He reached the 10th grade, the highest grade in school. During this time period a child had to become what his parents desired, not what the child wanted to be. The popular music during this time period was the danza, waltzes, mazurka and paso dobles. His first instrument was the cornet, then the violin and finally the trombone for the San Juan band of Manolo Tizol. He was tutored by Prof. Pepe Legreti. He enjoyed kid games, like swimming. At age 13 he wrote his first song, a waltz he titled Virginia, a tribute to a beautiful Mexican actress. Radio did not exist at the time. The only live music we heard was by trombonist Cocolia. Rafael's first girlfriend was Nicolasa Cruz. In 1915 he left Aguadilla to join the San Juan Municipal band. In 1917 when World War I broke out, an American black musician was in Puerto Rico to recruit musicians for the 65th Regiment stationed in South Carolina. From here we went to France where he remained for close to two years before returning to South Carolina, then to Puerto Rico. He came to New York in 1918. The following year the rest of the family followed. We lived at 1735 3rd Avenue...the few Puerto Rican families settled around 99th street and 3rd Avenue. Shortly thereafter, more Puerto Ricans arrived and occupied apartments at 98th street through 103rd street & 3rd Avenue.