Ojos Brujos is a song which belongs to a genre known as criolla composed by Gonzalo Roig.  The choral version has been made by Electo Silva.

          The "criolla" is a suitable for singing genre, placed inside the general frame of the cuban song.  It was created by Luis Casas Romero in 1909, inaugurating  the genre with his criolla Carmela.

          The criolla's genesis and development, although its lyric sometimes alludes to a country motif, are urban.

          The criolla resorts to a fluent melodic line and a superposition of the 6/8 over an accompaniment markedy in 3/4.

- WORDS -

Yo estoy loco por librarme

de unos ojos que ayer vi;

ojos brujos que al mirarme

han querido fascinarme

siempre clavados en mí.

Por eso cuando los miro

es tan grande mi emoción

como si un mar de zafiro

me arrancara en un suspiro

el alma y el corazón.

I´m mad keen to scape

from some eyes I saw yesterday;

ojos brujos which looking at me,

have wanted to fascinate me

always fixed in me.

That's why when I look at them

my emotion is so huge

as if a sea made of sapphire

snatched in a whisper

my soul and my heart.

          Gonzalo Roig, composer, conductor of orchestra and band was born in La Habana on July 20th, 1890.  He began his musical studies in 1902 and in 1907 he started his professional career forming a part of a trio as a pianist, writing in that same year his first musical play.

         He found the symphony orchestra of La Habana in 1922 being its conductor, being considered the pioneer of the symphony in Cuba.  In 1927 he was appointed as a headmaster of the School and Municipal Band of Music of La Habana (present National Band of Concerts), post which he ocuppied until his death on June 13th, 1970.

          He composed one of the most famous cuban songs of the last century, "Quiéreme mucho".  In 1931 he staged "Cecilia Valdés" internationally considered as the most representative cuban light opera.  Seven years later he found the National Opera being its conductor.

          All through his life he dedicated to syndical works in favour of his sector and he found several societies of authors.

          Electo Silva was born on October 14th, 1934 in Santiago de Cuba.  He studied violin in Haiti and then Law at the University of la Sorbonne in Paris.  He came back to Cuba in 1959 in the falling of Batista.  He worked at the University of Oriente where found the University choir.  His arrangements are sung all over the world.

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