From time to time, I have wanted to write about the anecdotes that I had the great joy of living, with someone who will always be a representative artist of Cuban culture and especially Camagüey. Although his work has transcended beyond our borders, it will always be ours. I am referring to the undisputed teacher, musician, composer, conductor, and pianist Jorge González Allué.

I met him personally in the 90s of the last century, when he worked in the Artistic Subdirectorate of the Provincial Sector of Culture, an experience that gave me great satisfaction, although of course, as in all cases, also many setbacks and disagreements; But the truth is that I managed to nourish myself with extensive knowledge about art that I picked up like a sponge from all the artists around me.

We used to visit Allué at his house on Mártires Avenue, unfortunately today turned into a bicycle repair shop, a pizzeria, as I learned a while ago. He welcomed us sitting in his armchair in the living room, and he told, everything that happened to him, his needs and the ailments that afflicted him, which by then were getting worse.

In one of the many times that he was admitted to receive medical treatment for his ailments, at the Amalia Simoni Hospital, an institution that, according to what he told us, treated him very well and were very attentive, I visited him. He was very happy as always when his cultural people arrived, as he used to call us.

I remember he asked for a pencil and paper and began to write, then he gave it to me, it was like a piece of cardboard, and nothing more and nothing less than he had written me a song, number 204 of his already long list of works, he titled it ” Ballad on him.

I received it with great emotion and I kept it. Life had granted me the enormous privilege of having an author of such worth give me a song.

One day I decided to donate it to an Institution that treasures endless heritage jewels, the House of Cultural Diversity in Camagüey, belonging to the Office of the Historian of the city, because I thought it was the best place where it could be found and preserved, since Allué is indisputably a symbol of our culture. There, it remains in the room where objects related to art are exhibited, along with musical instruments, typical costumes, and another group of relics that make the place a must-see if we want to know a little more about the culture of our city.

Between phone calls

I continue to remember and my late-night phone calls come to me, almost always after 7:30 pm, after I had already arrived from work, so, sometimes without having done anything other than greeting my family, I had to dedicate some time to listen to his stories, with a little mischief some of them, because he was fond of parting and he liked to hear me laugh very much, as he said, that is precisely why in one of the stanzas of my song he makes it clear. Then, after many years, having finished my work in the culture sector, I went to work at the Historian’s Office, where I found a colleague with whom I had also had the satisfaction of sharing previously, I mean Oscar Viñas Ortiz, who had served as Secretary General of the cultural workers for a long time, but here, he was in charge of Public Relations.

Back…

Then, fate wanted me to return to Master Allué’s house, because, as you may know, friend Viñas was his biographer and he maintained a close friendship with him, so luckily I was able to approach him again, I think I still have some videos that we took.

On one occasion he agreed until two music students from the Luis Casas Romero Vocational School of Art interviewed him, which fortunately has remained for posterity.

Sometime later, in 2001, precisely on November 3rd, at the age of 91, he passed away; I remember that day with sadness and pain, as one of the greatest artistic pillars of our city left. In the Vigía funeral home, in the room, he was mourned, honored and lavished by so many, from artists, civil servants and even people from all over the city when they found out, since the teacher is a symbol of Camagüey.

The tribute

At the General Cemetery upon the arrival of the coffin, escorted by the Concert Band, the mourning was dismissed by comrade Rosario Pentón, a member of the Provincial Bureau of the PCC at that time, under a persistent drizzle, as that night was announced the arrival of Hurricane Michel, his most emblematic piece was heard fulfilling his will: “Amorosa Guajira”, in the voice of the singer, Berta Balart, accompanied by Los Agramontinos Ensemble and chanted by a large part of the participants. Singular was the tribute paid to the musician who disappeared when he turned 100, at the headquarters of the Union of Writers and Artists of the province, as his biographer and personal friend, presented the book that he dedicated, entitled “The last of the greats “; where in an entertaining and open way he leads us through the life and work of the Master, putting experiential facts in our hands; even little known and unpublished, in some cases, about his fruitful and peculiar personal and artistic career.

That is why today with this simple comment, in light of these 19 Novembers of his physical disappearance, I put one more flower in his memory, because I still remember him with the same respect as back then, when we spoke on the phone, with the ease that always characterized him and I evoke their always friendly and pleasant conversation.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García