The 27 of September of 1900 was born in Santiago de los Caballeros Julio Alberto Hernandez Camejo, who was going to be the longest living Dominican composer of all and one of the most prolific throughout the XX century.
At very young age he initiated his studies of music. His first teachers were Pedro Camejo, Ramón Emilio Peralta and José Ovidio, who taught solfeo to him, saxofon and piano, respectively. In 1914 Julio Alberto was already saxofonista of the Band of his native town and began to stand out with the piano, this last instrument to which he would dedicate a lot of time and whereupon he would make memorable works.
For years he was the most asked pianist for accompanying great artists of the song and instrumentalists of the country and shared scenes through its long carreer with, among them, Gabriel del Orbe, Pedro Echavarría Lazala, Antonio Paoli, Nidia Mieses, Emil Friedman and Carlos Piantini.
In 1922, next to Luis Bonnelly (piano), Susano Polanco (tenor), Juan Francisco García (cornetín) and Luis Revera (violin) integrated a musical set that appeared with much success in Dajabón, Cabo Haitiano and MonteCristi. In 1924 Julio Alberto started off for Cuba as part of a company of varieties, the French-Emperio-Valentino, and was in Havana, with the Spanish Teacher Pedro San Juan, at that time titular director of the Orchesta Filarmónica of that city, with that he enriched his valuable knowledge of harmony and composition.
At the end of the second decade of the century, the Maestro Julio Alberto created the artistic picture in which some of the most outstanding artists of the time were nucleared; among them, Eduardo Brito, Catherine Jaquez and Miguel Angel Jiménez.
When in 1932 the Orquesta Sinfónica of Santo Domingo was based, Hernandez was invited to participate in the birth of that institution, that was génesis of all the symphonic movements that would be developed through the century. The 19 of December of 1933 it was the Maestro Julio who directed one of the first concerts of that just arisen institution, executing for the first time in the country, a program in which interpreted a complete work, in this case the concert of Camille Saint-Saens for violonchelo and orchestra, in which Russian interpreter Bugomil Sykora acted as solist. In the following years the carreer of the exceptional musician continued expandinging and arrived to be asked for like director of radio HIN; director of transmitter HI9N, Santiago; director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Compañía Anónima Tabacalera; and director of the Elementary School of Music of Santiago de los Caballeros.
In 1954 during the celebration of XII Week Aniversary of La Voz Dominicana, it was released by radio and television his operetta La bruta de la loma, in which played the main rolls; Elenita Santos and Gerónimo Pellerano.
Extensive it is the catalogue of its works, that include diverse sorts and that are part of most genuine of the Dominican musical art.
Julio Alberto Hernández
next to his granddaughter Maridalia
On the matter, the diligent musicógrafo Arístides Incháustegui has written: "Like composer; Julio Alberto Hernández, is an exquisite miniaturista who is known to wisely use the roots of our folklore, leaving in his work the fixation of the Dominican Creole rates".
Their valuable work in all the fields of music and their exemplary human conduct was recognized to him in multiple occasions. In 1966 he received from the Dominican Government the Order of the Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella in the Commission rank and the Independent University of Santo Domingo declared him in 1977 Professor Honorario of the Faculty of Humanities, among other many decorations.
The 2 of April of 1999, Good Friday, seazed to exist the artist Julio Alberto Hernández Camejo, who bequeathed his extensive and valuable work to us, already unquestionable part of the Dominican culture.


This text is taken from "Los cien músicos del siglo" and translated, published in 2000 by "Cañabrava", in Santo Domingo and written by "el Lic. Antonio Gómez Sotolongo"