This website receives many inquiries about obtaining sheet music of Ernesto Lecuona. You can find much of the information you will need here and this page will assist you in locating some of the sources where the music may be found. We also have a superb new collection of Lecuona song sheet music. Please browse through the wonderful illustrations on our covers page.
Despite real improvements, a lot of Lecuona's music is still out of print and unobtainable. If you are aware of other sources or have music that you wish to share, please let us know.
On the piano front, there has been real progress. In the album, Ernesto Lecuona Piano Music, 44 of Lecuona's most famous piano pieces have been collected into one volume. This, in turn, may be a reason for the impressive amount of new recording and concert performances of these works. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger sized version of the album and to see a table of contents along with other details.
Another new volume of Lecuona piano music, the Siete Danzas Cubanas Tipicas (Seven Typical Cuban Dances) has just been published in an edition by noted Lecuona pianist, Thomas Tirino. This album contains some of Lecuona's finest works and includes the fabulous whirlwind La 32, one of the virtuoso landmarks of the 20th Century.
Shortly after the new piano album appeared, Edward B. Marks Music Company released a collection of Lecuona's most popular songs under the title of
Placido Domingo, Always in My Heart, (Siempre en mi corazon), The Songs of Ernesto Lecuona. Placido Domingo has always been a great champion of Lecuona's music and this album was published to coincide with the re-issue of his CBS CD featuring the same songs contained in the album.
Another new release from Marks, on a rental basis, from Theodore Presser is the Rapsodia Argentina, a large scale work for piano and orchestra. Little is known about this fascinating piece other than its 1937 date of composition and first performance in Rio De Janiero. In this version, the scoring is for piano and large orchestra with extra added percussion. (Performed by the Boston Pops in June, 2000.)
In 1995, the Society of Authors and Publishers of Spain, SGAE, published the Catalogo de obras de Ernesto Lecuona.
This important volume, a definite resource for any serious student of the composer's music, lists all of Lecuona's known works, the date of composition for each work, a description, first performance information, manuscript location and other important details available for each piece. The catalogue was published along with its companion volume, El arte musical de Ernesto Lecuona, to celebrate the centenary of the composer's birth.
The second Lecuona/Tirino piano edition, this collection includes many waltzes presented in print for the first time. Included is an introduction by Thomas Tirino and authentic piano solo arrangements of nine waltzes. Among them are the seven Valses Fantásticos (Apasionado, Romántico, Poético, Arabesque, Patético, Maravilloso, Brillante) in addition to Vals Gitano and Crisantemo.
The English translation of the book Ernesto Lecuona: the Genius and his Music, is now available for sale. This book was difficult to get due to the limited number of copies that were printed. You can now obtain this translated version through this web site. The link will take you to a page that has an e-mail order link and more information. The picture of the book itself is also a link.
