Domingo Cruz "Cocolía"
| Domingo Cruz ("Cocolía") | |
|---|---|
| 
 
 Domingo Cruz ('Cocolía'), Former director of the Ponce Municipal Band  | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Domingo Cruz | 
| Also known as | Cocolía | 
| Born | 3 July 1864 | 
| Origin | Ponce, Puerto Rico | 
| Died | 
20 October 1934 Alicante, Spain  | 
| Genres | danza | 
| Occupation(s) | Director of the Ponce Municipal Band, musician | 
Domingo Cruz (3 July 1864 – 20 October 1934), a.k.a., "Cocolía", was a late 19th-century Puerto Rican musician, and director of the Ponce Firefighters' Band (now the Ponce Municipal Band).[1][2]
Early years
Domingo Cruz was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on 3 July 1864.[3]
Professional career
Cocolía (Spanish for little crab) played the saxhorn with "La Lira Ponceña" orchestra (by 1919 also known as the Ponce Symphony Orchestra[4]) under the baton of Ponce's renowned composer Juan Morel Campos. Famous for his danceable tunes, Cocolía was also a music teacher and director of the Firefighters' Band, the Banda Municipal de Ponce. Upon the death of Juan Morel Campos, Cruz became the director of the Ponce Municipal Band.[5] He directed it from 1896 until 1916.[6]
Death
Cocolia died in 1934 in the Province of Alicante, Spain.[7]
Legacy
The city of Ponce recognized his work with a statue. Cocolia's statue stood for many years in front of the downtown Ponce fire station next to Teatro La Perla.[8] It currently (2012) stands at Plaza Las Delicias.
Cocolia is also recognized at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[9]
In Ponce, there is also a park named after him at the intersection of Intendente Ramirez, mayor, and Tricoche streets.[10]
See also
- Juan Morel Campos
 - Julio Alvarado Tricoche
 - Luis Osvaldo Pino Valdivieso
 - List of Puerto Ricans
 - People from Ponce, Puerto Rico
 - Escuela Libre de Música de Ponce
 
References
- ↑ Ponceños Ilustres. Municipality of Ponce.
 - ↑ In memory of tropical music great, “Cocolía” Juan A. Hernandez. Puerto Rico Daily Sun. 26 February 2010.
 - ↑ Ponceños Ilustres. Municipality of Ponce.
 - ↑ Luis Fortuño Janeiro. "Album Historico de Ponce (1692–1963)". Page 405. Imprenta Fortuño. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1963.
 - ↑ Las Retretas. Municipality of Ponce.
 - ↑ Don Domingo Cruz (Cocolia). Museo del Paruqe de Bombas de Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2 March 2011.
 - ↑ Frommer's Walking Tours
 - ↑ In memory of tropical music great, “Cocolía” Puerto Rico Daily Sun. February 26, 2010. By Juan A. Hernandez
 - ↑ Music. Travel Ponce. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
 - ↑ Luis Fortuño Janeiro. "Album Historico de Ponce (1692–1963)". 1963. Pages 97–98. Imprenta Fortuño. Ponce, Puerto Rico.
 
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