Joaquín Balaguer was a Dominican poet, essayist, and politician, born in Navarrete, Santiago province, on September 1, 1906. He died in Santo Domingo on July 14, 2002. Alongside his career as president of the Dominican Republic, he wrote poetry that entered the country’s song repertoire through settings by several composers.

«Lucía» and the criolla tradition

An early example is «Lucía», with words by Balaguer and music by Nicolás «Machilo» Guzmán. The Archivo General de la Nación preserves a recording sung by Ney Rivera L. and lists both writers. Answering a questionnaire by Diógenes Céspedes, later reproduced by Cándido Gerón, Balaguer recalled his surprise at hearing his poem sung by Eduardo Brito. The question identified a 1929 recording for «RCA».

«La música de sus versos»

His connection to song was explored in the collective LP «La música de sus versos», produced by Ricardo Bello for «Disco Bello», catalog number DB-1020. The copy digitized by the Archivo General de la Nación contains ten recordings, together with its cover, back cover, inner artwork, and labels. Bello’s sleeve notes describe a project to bring Dominican poetry into popular song, with Balaguer chosen for its first installment.

The back cover separates the poetry from its musical settings and performances. It credits Cheo Zorrilla with both the music and performance of «Amor tardío»; Anthony Ríos with those roles on «Rosa silvestre»; and R. Bello with the music of «El pasado», sung by Omar Franco. It also documents «Amistad», composed by Anthony Ríos and sung by Lope Balaguer, and «Amor romántico», with music by Cheo Zorrilla and a performance by Gina D’Alessandro.

The other tracks are «Fragilidad», sung by Carlos Alfredo Fatule with music by José Delmonte; «El leñador», performed by Fausto Rey with music by Jorge Taveras; «Maternidades frustradas», sung by Luchy Vicioso, with music by Jorge Taveras and Carlos M. Echenique; «Venus negra», performed by Rafael Colón with music by Julio Alberto Hernández; and the ensemble performance «Paz», with music by Carlos Mario Echenique. These credits belong to this particular LP edition.

Later settings

Fernando Villalona recorded «Romanticismo» for «Soy un hombre feliz» (1996). The digital credits for this recording list Joaquín Balaguer and Pedro S. Rodríguez. This merengue recording brought Balaguer’s verse to another audience.

Pedro Samuel Rodríguez also published his own performances of Balaguer’s poetry on his channel «Pedro Samuel Rodz». His upload of «Melancolía otoñal», dated May 11, 2016, credits him with the melody and performance and cites pages 61–62 of the 1992 edition of «Voz silente» as its textual source. His May 15 upload of «Rosa silvestre» likewise credits his own music and performance, citing pages 76–78 of the 1992 edition of «La venda transparente». These are the musician’s own publications, distinct from the recordings on the collective LP.

Legacy

Balaguer’s documented place in Dominican music rests on the poems that composers and singers adapted across generations. The criolla «Lucía», the collective project «La música de sus versos», and later performances shared online show several ways in which his writing became song, while retaining the distinction between the poet’s words and the musicians’ contributions.