Where The Pieces Fall

Watch how the camera twists and turns and walks through a Fee Fi Fo Fum Street Attack in Peavey Plaza, Minneapolis.

[tags]Fee Fi Fo Fum,Sugar Ditch Alley,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Alberto Miyares,John Millspaugh,Donald Johnson,Mary K,Jeff Bua,Peavey Plaza[/tags]

The recording of Bluesy Son continues to progress. The following is the recording of Maritima with Javier’s recently recorded guitar solo at the end.

Maritima by Roberto Poveda with guitar solo by Javier Hernandez-Miyares

Javier at the Frost Street Space Williamsburg Brooklyn

[tags]Roberto Poveda,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Bluesy Son[/tags]

En 1903, inspirado por un discurso pronunciado en el Senado de la nueva República de Cuba por su gran amigo don Manuel Sanguily, con el que éste cerraba un largo debate sostenido con don Antonio Sánchez de Bustamante sobre la conveniencia o no para Cuba de la aprobación del Tratado de Reciprocidad con los Estados Unidos, Enrique Hernández Miyares escribió un bello soneto titulado “La más fermosa”, basado en un episodio de El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, mencionado por Sanguily en su discurso. El poema apareció publicado en el periódico El Mundo bajo el seudónimo de Crisóstomo. Y dio lugar a una de las más sonadas polémicas literarias en los anales de las letras hispanoamericanas, pues el Diario de la Marina, sorpresivamente, dio cabida en sus páginas a la acusación de plagio hecha por un supuesto escritor andaluz que afirmaba que el poema se debía a la pluma del ilustre poeta sevillano Francisco Rodríguez Marín. La calumnia creció y la polémica tomó proporciones extraordinarias. Las acusaciones llegaron a tal gravedad, que una parte de la opinión pública se inclinó de antemano a condenar al poeta cubano, hasta que se recibió el cable de España en el que Rodríguez Marín declaraba que el soneto no era suyo y así se conoció la verdad y se disolvió la conjura contra Hernández Miyares. El poeta pudo gozar de su triunfo sobre la calumnia y sus amigos lo agasajaron en uno de los grandes teatros de la capital con un banquete de reconocimiento y admiración que tuvo carácter de apoteosis

Julio E. Hernandez-Miyares

Brief History of A Sonnet
Translation by Javier Hernandez-Miyares

In 1903, inspired by a speech given in the Senate of the newly established Republic of Cuba, by his great friend Manuel Sanguily; a speech which closed a long debate that Sanguily had with Antonio Sanchez de Bustamante, concerning whether the law of reciprocity with the United States should be adopted, Enrique Hernandez-Miyares wrote a gorgeous sonnet titled “The Most Beautiful”, based on an episode from the novel Don Quijote, which Sanquily alluded to in his speech. The poem appeared in the newspaper “El Mundo” under the pen name Crisostomo. It’s publication provoked one of the most famous scandals in the history of spanish-american literature, and was ignited by an article published in the newspaper “El Diario de la Marina”, which was written by an Andulsian scribe of dubious character, who claimed that the sonnet was plagiarized and the true author was the illustrious Spanish poet Francisco Rodriguez Marin. This calumnious accusation set in motion a frenzy of speculation, which due to it’s promotion in the press, created a consensus of public opinion against Hernandez-Miyares. Finally, a cable arrived from Spain in which Rodriguez Marin declared that he was not the author of the sonnet. This ended the polemic and Hernandez-Miyares was able to celebrate his victory with his friends and supporters at a banquet in his honor.

In 1917 a book titled La Mas Fermosa (Historia de un Soneto) was published by the National Academy of Cuban Arts and Letters. This book tells the story of the sonnet and preserves the news articles and letters that were generated during the battle for the paternity of La Mas Fermosa. The Book is available at The New York Public Library.

[tags]Enrique Hernandez-Miyares,Julio Hernandez-Miyares,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,La Mas Fermosa,Cuban Sonnets[/tags]

Picture by Roberto Poveda of my hand

The recording of roberto’s “Bluesy Son” album continues, and just to tease you i present the audio of a song titled “Maritima”. This is not the finished version of the song. several other parts are still to be recorded.

Maritima-in-production.wma

[tags]Roberto Poveda,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Maritima,Bluesy Son,Cuban Music[/tags]

Photo by Javier Hernandez-Miyares

[tags]Williamsburg,Brooklyn,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Classic American Car[/tags]

This performance was recorded live in 1995 at the Viva Galleria in Hell’s Kitchen. Nini plays Acoustic guitar and sings, while Javier plays electric guitar leads.

The Music by Nini Camps

[tags]Nini Camps,The Music,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Viva Galleria,Cuban American Music[/tags]

This song was written by Javier Hernandez-Miyares for Fee Fi Fo Fum. This performance was videotaped by Jeff Bua. The performance took place in Peavey Plaza, Minneapolis.

[tags]Fee Fi Fo Fum,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Where The Pieces Fall,Jeff Bua,Alberto Miyares,Donald Johnson,John Millspaugh,Mary K[/tags]

[tags]Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Nini Camps,Luis Camps,Carolina Camps, Impossible Picture[/tags]

In 1992 while Cuban poet Dulce Maria Loynaz was accepting the most prestigious honor for spanish language literature: the Cervantes prize, she ended her speech with the recitation of the sonnet “La Mas Fermosa” by Enrique Hernandez-Miyares (1859-1914). She introduced the poem with these words: “I want to finish with the most beautiful verses that in my opinion have been dedicated to the immortal knight (Don Quijote) who still advances. These verses were written at the beginning of this century by a modest poet whom i knew, and whose name was Enrique Hernandez-Miyares.”

Drawing of Enrique Hernandez-Miyares by Rafael Blanco (El Figaro) 1912

[tags]Enrique Hernandez-Miyares,La Mas Fermosa,Dulce Maria Loynaz,Javier Hernandez-Miyares,Sonetos Cubanos,Don Quijote[/tags]

LA MAS FERMOSA

Que siga el caballero su camino
agravios desfaciendo con su lanza:
Todo noble tesón al cabo alcanza
fijar las justas leyes del destino.

Cálate el roto yelmo de Mambrino
y en tu rocín glorioso altivo avanza,
desoye el refranero Sancho Panza.
Y en tu brazo confía y en tu sino.

No temas la esquivez de la fortuna:
si el Caballero de la Blanca Luna
medir sus armas con las tuyas osa

Y te derriba por contraria suerte,
de Dulcinea en ansias de tu muerte,
di que siempre será la más fermosa!

LA MAS FERMOSA (English Translation by Alice Stone blackwell)

O knight, pursue thy way with courage free
Redressing wrongs and woes with mighty spear!
All noble firmness brings at last more near
The founding of just laws in equity.

Mambrino’s broken helmet take to thee;
Ride foward proud, victorious, without fear;
To Sancho Panza’s proverbs lend no ear;
Trust in thine arm and in thy destiny.

For the disdain of fortune have no care;
And if the Knight of the White Moon should dare
Measure his arms with thine, and thou shoulds’t fall

By evil fate, say with thy latest breath,
Of Dulcinea, ‘mid the pangs of death,
That she will ever be most fair of all!

by enrique hernandez-miyares