La bella Lola

Contents

(Beautiful Lola)
Havana song. The origin of the dance and song is Creole from the Antilles. Its tempo is from slow (lento) to very slow, and is written in a binary form. It has been a decisive melody in the development of many other later South American dances such as the Danzon from Mexico or the Tango from Argentina. Several composers such as Bizet, Albeniz, and Montsalvatge have included it in the so-called cultured music.
In Catalonia, the 'Havanera' has been very cultivated, on the coast more than anywhere else, where it was brought by the navigators and the 'americanos' (with most of the original versions in Castilian Spanish). Afterwards, 'Havaneres' have been written by some composers in the Catalan language.
The 'Havanera', 'La bella Lola' belongs to the first group of 'Havaneres' mentioned above. It was sung along the Catalan coast and its music and text are in the Castilian Spanish of the common people.