Name Juan Alfonseca | Role Composer | |
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Died August 9, 1875, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | ||
Colonel Juan Bautista Alfonseca Baris (Santo Domingo, 23 June 1810 – 9 August 1875) was a military officer and composer in the Dominican Republic, known for his role in the development of merengue music. Though the music written by Alfonseca was not, at the time, specifically labeled as "merengue", its incorporation of Dominican folk motifs into Latin formal music such as the danza paved the way for that genre, causing many to label him "the father of merengue".
In addition to his proto-merengue, Alfonseca served as a chapelmaster in Santo Domingo, writing two masses,. Alfonseca also wrote patriotic music; following the Dominican Republic's successful secession from Haiti in 1844 he produced the nation's first proposed national anthem, though it was not adopted.