Antonio de la Mora y Hernández (12 March 1884 – 9 May 1926 Kansas City, Missouri) was a Mexican-born virtuoso cornetist, composer, music educator, publisher, and influential military band director who served as Chief Musician (aka bandmaster) in elite Army bands of three countries: In Mexico, the Mexican Army 6th Infantry Band In the United States: The U.S. Army 21st Infantry Band stationed at Fort Logan, Colorado The U.S. Army 20th Infantry Band at Fort Douglas, Utah, the Philippines (island of Mindanáo at Ludlow Barracks), Honolulu at Schofield Barracks, and El Paso, Texas, at Camp Cotton In Canada (as a U.S. citizen), the Canadian Expeditionary Force 97th Battalion Band
In De la Mora's post-military career, he served as an educator and bandmaster of YMCAs and Shriners of several cities. In particular, he organized (i) the amateur military band at the Salt Lake City YMCA in 1913, (ii) the Kem Shrine and YMCA of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and (iii) the Hamasa Temple Shrine Band of Meridian, Mississippi.
Career highlights
De la Mora grew up in Tepic. He studied music at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City, completing in five years the regular eight years, graduating with distinction.
1895: Played solo cornet with a touring Mexican opera company under the direction of Assali. 1900: Cananea, the great copper camp, where he took charge of a music academy and organized a band. 1900: San Dimos, Durango, where he organized a band composed of native Mexicans and Indians.
Mexican Army 19??: Enlisted in the 6th Infantry of the Mexican Army and, right-away, was assigned as Bandmaster, a position he held for two years.
United States Army 1907: December 16, 1907, De la Mora enlisted in the 21st U.S. Infantry, initially at Jefferson Barracks Military Post near St. Louis as a musician at the rank of private.
1908, Fort Logan, Colorado In 1908, De la Mora was with the 21st Infantry Band stationed at Fort Logan – near Denver. The 21st Infantry Band, 4 years earlier based at Fort Snelling, under the direction of Charles W. Graves (born about 1864 Kenton, Ohio), was one of seven military bands selected to perform at the Saint Louis World Fair of 1904.
February 4, 1908, he was promoted to sergeant. On March 21, 1909, he was appointed Acting Chief Musician. On May 5, 1909, he was appointed chief musician and left the service December 16, 1909, at that position. He re-enlisted that same day, December 16, 1909, in the 20th Infantry at Fort Douglas, Utah – just a few miles east of Salt Lake City. He was appointed principal musician, pending the discharge of then bandmaster.
Around 1910, Philippines Around 1910, while serving as vice head musician, he was with the 21st U.S. Infantry in the Philippines, on the island of Mindanáo at Ludlow Barracks. July 1, 1911, he was appointed chief musician.
While in the Philippines, De la Mora was on the "Sick List" of enlisted personnel: Admitted February 10, 1910, return to duty March 25, 1911, in Manilla. (note: when admitted, De La Mora was listed as being in the 20th Infantry)
Honolulu, Hawaii September 4, 1911, De la Mora arrived in Honolulu from the Philippines aboard the U.S. Army Transport Sherman with his 19-piece military band. As head musician of the 20th Infantry Band, they performed in Hawaii as late as October 1911. He was discharged December 25, 1911.
Salt Lake City De a Mora Organized an amateur military band at the Salt Lake City Y.M.C.A. in 1913.
1914, El Paso, Texas Beginning towards the end of 1913, and throughout 1914, De la Mora and the 20th Infantry Band, with the 20th Regiment from Fort Douglas, was stationed at Camp Cotton, a sub-post of Fort Bliss in El Paso. The 20th Infantry Band was on patrol duty on the Mexican border.
Other units at Camp Cotton Camp Cotton – named for its locale in the Cotton subdivision in the southeastern part of El Paso – was, in 1913, a newly established military camp that, initially, hosted the 20th Infantry, the 12th Cavalry squadron of 4 troops and C troop of the 13th Cavalry. In July 1912, the 16th Infantry returned from its second tour in the Philippines for duty at the Presidio in San Francisco. Two years later, the regiment was transferred with the 8th Brigade, commanded by General "Black Jack" Pershing, to the Mexican border to help secure it from by Mexican bandits and paramilitary forces commanded by Francisco "Pancho" Villa. Upon arrival in April 1914, the regiment was posted to Camp Cotton. In response to Pancho Villa's attack on Columbus, New Mexico, March 1916 – about 80 miles west of El Paso – President Woodrow Wilson ordered Pershing conduct a punitive expedition into Mexico to hunt, find, and punish Pancho Villa (see Pancho Villa Expedition).
Conservatory of Mérida The School of Music of the State of Yucatan was inaugurated November 30, 1911, in Mérida. Shortly thereafter, it was renamed Conservatorio de Mérida. Francisco Quevedo was its first director. Antonio de la Mora, one of the founding music professors, taught counterpoint and instrumentation.
Canadian Expeditionary Force Before the United States entered World War I, the Canadian Expeditionary Force recruited Americans to fill ranks of the 97th Battalion, one of five American Legion battalions that had greatly deteriorated. The other four battalions were the 212th, the 211th, the 213th, and the 237th. April 10, 1916, De la Mora enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Windsor, and, on the same day received a medical examination. April 26, 1916, De la Mora was promoted to Sergeant in the 97th Overseas Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, at Toronto, and was appointed Bandmaster. May 12, 1916, De la Mora was transferred to the 212th Battalion at Toronto May 19, 1916, De la Mora was promoted to Band Sergeant 212th and assigned to Winnipeg, where he served as Bandmaster. January 3, 1917, De la Mora received a Medical Discharge.
Grand Forks, North Dakota De la Mora became a member of the Kem Shrine of Grand Forks. 1916–1917: Grand Forks, North Dakota, Professor De la Mora, Bandmaster of: The YMCA Boys Band Kem Temple Shriners Band Elks Saxophone Band East Grand Forks Band
Meridian, Mississippi De la Mora resided in Meridian, Mississippi, for a few months during 1918. While there, he published his book, Cornetist Alphabet, and organized the Hamasa Temple Shrine Band. He remained in Meridian until about late-November-early-December when he married Susan May Stennis (maiden; 1899–1973) in Meridian and, with her, moved to New Orleans for his work as a musician. When he signed his World War I Draft Registration on September 12, 1818, he provided the name of his wife, Amanda de la Mora, and his address at 817 24th Avenue (between 8th and 9th Streets), Meridian, Mississippi, an address that corresponds to the site upon which the Hamasa Temple was built in 1924. The Meridian Shriners contracted the Saenger organization to design, build, and operate the auditorium in their building. The Saenger organization was the same organization that designed, built, owned, and operated the Strand in New Orleans, where De la Mora began working in 1918.
Strand Theatre Orchestra, New Orleans Beginning late-November-early-December 1918, De la Mora worked as a musician in New Orleans in the Concert Orchestra under the direction of Don Philippini (né Salvatore Philippini; 1870–1950) of the recently built Strand Theater. The Strand, no longer in existence, was at the corner of Baronne and Gravier Streets for about 53 years.
On February 9, 1919, De la Mora seemingly tried to commit suicide by leaping eighteen feet to the street from the second-story window of the newspaper editorial room of the New Orleans States building at 619 Canal Street. News accounts attributed De la Mora's distress to a prior nervous breakdown from overwork and marital unhappiness relating to disagreements with in-laws. De la Mora, about two months earlier, had married Susan May Stennis (maiden; 1899–1973) in Meridian, Mississippi. Soon after marrying, they moved to New Orleans and resided at 611 St. Charles Street (at Lafayette Square).
Wichita, Kansas
In 1925, Antonio de la Mora was living in Wichita, Kansas, at 1665 North Waco Avenue with his wife, Martha, and two sons, Antonio, Jr., and Adolphus. He was working there as a music teacher. He resided with his family at 2239 North Laurel Street.
Kansas City, Missouri De la Mora moved to Kansas City, Missouri, around December 1925 to organize the Mexican Band of the Unión Cultural Mexicana (U.C.M.) in Kansas City's Westside at 1017 West 24th Street. He trained a 45-piece band composed mostly of youth from the community. De la Mora, with Martha (1903–1983), Antonio, Jr. (1922–1985), and Adolfo (born 1934) – his wife and two sons – resided at 2322 Monitor Place. The Mexican communities in Wichita and Kansas City were viewed somewhat as colonies for Mexican exiles.
Death in Kansas City, Missouri Antonio de la Mora died May 9, 1926. Dr. Nicolás Jaime (1885–1965) (surname pronounced "high-me" with the accent evenly divided) was the attending physician who signed the death certificate. He and Dr. Othoniel de Rivas y Jaén (1890–1973), a Granada, Nicaragua-born chiropractor, held a funeral vigil for Antonio de la Mora May 22, 1926, at the U.C.M.
Dr. Jaime, a co-founder of the U.C.M., days earlier had signed a US$2,500 bail bond () for Jorge Prieto Laurens (1895–1990), who was elected and served as interim governor of San Luis Potosí in 1923 for one year, was indicted in San Antonio and arrested on February 28, 1926, in Kansas City, on a charge by the Mexican government that he had, as part of the Huerta faction, participated in a plot to overthrow (another revolution) the then present Mexican regime, a government for which, diplomatically, the United States was on friendly terms. Dr. Jaime, himself, was a 1915 Mexican exile. But as a community member, in 1958, he was named "Man of the Year" by the Kansas City Academy of General Practice.
Memorial band In 1927, after the death of Antonio de la Mora, the "Antonio de la Mora Band," directed by Alfredo Antonio González Flores (1904–1983), continued to perform in Kansas City. González, who had arrived early 1904 in Kansas City to assist with teaching music in the Mexican community, went on to become an influential music educator at Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango.
Selected compositions
Carl Fischer "President Wilson's March," 4to © 22 April 1913 2nd copy 26 April 1913 Antonio de la Mora, Fort Douglas, Utah Class E (musical composition) 309389
Note: President Woodrow Wilson became U.S. President March 4, 1913
Antonio de la Mora "Salt Lake Beauties," waltz © 21 March 1913 2nd copy 25 March 1913 Antonio de la Mora, Fort Douglas, Utah Class E (musical composition) 308857
"Captain Tiffany," march, 4to © 11 May 1909 A. de la Mora, Fort Logan, Colorado Class C (musical composition) 207274 Dedicated to (then Captain) George Stanton Tiffany, 21st Infantry (1876–1938)
"Colonel Williams," march, 4to © 7 October 1908 Antonio de la Mora, Fort Logan, Colorado Class C (musical composition) 190912 Dedicated to De la Mora's then commanding officer in the 20th Infantry, Colonel Charles Andrew Williams (1852–1926), 21st Infantry Fort Logan, Colorado
Other "The Twentieth United States Infantry," march (1913) "Carnival of Mérida" ("Carnaval de Mérida") a phantasy "Gretchen," dance intermezzo "Lolita," mazurka "Ducat March" (1911) Dedicated to Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Charles Ducat, Jr. (1856–1913), of the 20th Infantry, son of Civil War Union Officer Arthur Charles Ducat, Sr. <li> "Serenade, 'To a Violet'" (1912) "Remembrance of Mexico," Mexican dance (1912)
Published works Cornetist's Alphabet – for Amateurs, Advanced Players, and Professionals, by Antonio A. de La Mora (1984–1926), De La Mora Publishing Company, Meridian, Mississippi (1918), Sherman Clay, agents;