Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the

Nueva Canción Chilena Nueva is the Spanish feminine form of the word for "new" and may refer to: * Isla Nueva, an uninhabited island in Chile * The Nueva School The Nueva School is a private school, with two campuses—the lower and middle school in Hillsborough, ...

(The Chilean New Song), a renewal and a reinvention of Chilean

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

that would extend its sphere of influence outside Chile. Her birthdate (4 October) was chosen "Chilean Musicians' Day". In 2011,

Andrés Wood Andrés Wood Montt (born 14 September 1965) is a Chilean film director, producer and writer. Some of his most popular films include ''Machuca'', '' Violeta se fue a los cielos'', and ''Historias de Futbol''. He created his own production company ...

directed a biopic about her, titled '' Violeta Went to Heaven'' (Spanish: ''Violeta se fue a los cielos'').

Biography

Early years

There is some uncertainty as to exactly where Violeta Parra was born. The stamp on her birth certificate says she was born in San Carlos, Ñuble Province, a small town in southern Chile on 4 October 1917, as Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval. However, both the Violeta Parra Foundation (Fundación Violeta Parra) and the Violeta Parra Museum (Museo Violeta Parra) claim on their websites that she was born in San Fabián de Alico, near San Carlos. She was one of nine children in the poor, but prolific Parra family. Her father, Nicanor Parra Alarcón, was a music teacher. Her mother, Clarisa Sandoval Navarrete had grown up in the countryside and was a seamstress. She sang and played the guitar, and taught Violeta and her siblings traditional folk songs. Among her brothers were the notable modern poet, better known as the "anti-poet",

Nicanor Parra Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet and physicist. He was considered one of the most influential Chilean poets of the Spanish language in the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. P ...

(1914–2018), and fellow folklorist Roberto Parra (1921–1995). Her son, Ángel Parra, and her daughter, Isabel Parra, are also important figures in the development of the ''Nueva Canción Chilena''. Their children have also mostly maintained the family's artistic traditions. Violeta Parra's family lived in poverty and was constantly moving throughout her childhood in search of work. Unemployment led her father to alcoholism. Two years after Violeta's birth, the family moved to Santiago, then, two years later, to Lautaro and, finally, in 1927, to Chillán. It was in Chillán that Violeta started singing and playing the guitar, together with her siblings Hilda, Eduardo and Roberto; and soon began composing traditional Chilean music. After Parra's father died in 1929, the life circumstances of her family greatly deteriorated. Violeta and her siblings had to work to help feed the family. In 1932, at the insistence of her brother Nicanor, Parra moved to Santiago to attend the

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, staying with relatives. Later, she moved back with her mother and siblings to Edison Street, in the Quinta Normal district.

First appearances

The Parras performed in nightclubs, such as El Tordo Azul and El Popular, in the Mapocho district, interpreting

boleros Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

, rancheras, Mexican corridos and other styles. In 1934, she met Luis Cereceda, a railway driver, whom she married four years later, and with whom she had two children,

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

(born 1939) and Ángel (born 1943). Her husband was a militant communist. At his side, Parra became involved in the progressive movement and the

Communist Party of Chile The Communist Party of Chile ( es, Partido Comunista de Chile, ) is a communist party in Chile. It was founded in 1912 as the Socialist Workers' Party () and adopted its current name in 1922. The party established a youth wing, the Communist Youth ...

, taking part in the presidential campaign of

Gabriel González Videla Gabriel Enrique González Videla (; November 22, 1898 – August 22, 1980) was a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as the 24th president of Chile from 1946 to 1952. He had previously been a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 193 ...

in 1944. Parra began singing songs of Spanish origin, from the repertoire of the famous Argentinian singers

Lolita Torres Lolita Torres (born Beatriz Mariana Torres; 26 March 1930 – 14 September 2002) was an Argentine film actress and singer (contralto). She began her career at age 11, performing folk songs in a theater in Buenos Aires. In 1944 she began acting ...

and Imperio Argentina. She sang in restaurants and, also, in theatres, calling herself Violeta de Mayo. In 1945, she appeared with her children Isabel and Angel in a Spanish show in the Casanova confectionery. In 1948, after ten years of marriage, Parra and Luis Cereceda separated. Parra and her sister Hilda began singing together as "The Parra Sisters", and they recorded some of their work on RCA VICTOR. In 1949, Violeta met and married Luis Arce. Their daughter Carmen Luisa was born in the same year. Parra continued performing: she appeared in circuses and toured, with Hilda and with her children, throughout Argentina.

The folklorist

In 1952, Parra's third daughter, Rosita Clara, was born. In that same year, encouraged by her brother Nicanor, Violeta began to collect and collate authentic Chilean folk music from all over the country. She abandoned her old folk-song repertoire, and began composing her own songs based on traditional folk forms. She gave recitals at universities, presented by the well-known literary figure Enrique Bello Cruz, founder of several cultural magazines. Soon, Parra was invited to the "Summer School" at the University of Concepción. She was also invited to teach courses in folklore at the University of Iquique. In Valparaiso, she was presented at the Chilean-French Institute. Parra's two singles for EMI Odeon label: "Que Pena Siente el Alma" and "Verso por el Fin del Mundo", and "Casamiento de Negros" and "Verso por Padecimiento" brought her a good measure of popularity. Don Isaiah Angulo, a tenant farmer, taught her to play the

guitarrón Guitarrón or guitarron is a common name for a number of stringed instruments found in Latin America and may refer to: * Guitarrón argentino, a six-stringed musical instrument from Argentina * Guitarrón chileno, a 25-stringed, plucked instrument ...

, a traditional Chilean guitar-like instrument with 25 strings. Along the way, Parra met Pablo Neruda, who introduced her to his friends. In 1970, he would dedicate the poem "Elegia para Cantar" to her. Between January and September 1954, Parra hosted the immensely successful radio program ''Sing Violeta Parra'' for Radio Chilena. The program was most often recorded in places where folk music was performed, such as her mother's restaurant in Barrancas. At the end of 1954, Parra participated in another folkloric program, for Radio Agriculture.

First trip to Europe

Violeta was invited to the World Festival of Youth and Students, in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, in July 1955. She then moved to Paris, France, where she performed at the nightclub "L'Escale" in the Quartier Latin. Meanwhile, back in Santiago her daughter Rosita Clara died (aged 3). Violeta made contacts with European artists and intellectuals. Through the intervention of the anthropologist Paul Rivet, she recorded at the National Sound Archive of the "Musée de l'Homme" La Sorbonne in Paris, where she left a guitarrón and tapes of her collections of Chilean folklore. She travelled to London to make recordings for EMI-Odeon and radio broadcasts from the BBC. Back in Paris, in March 1956, she recorded 16 songs for the French label " Chant du Monde" which launches its first two records with 8 songs each. In November 1957, Violeta returned to Chile and recorded the first LP of the series ''The Folklore of Chile'' for the EMI Odeon label, ''Violeta Parra and her Guitar'' (''Canto y Guitarra''), which included three of her own compositions. She followed with the second volume of ''The Folklore of Chile'' in 1958, ''Acompañada de Guitarra''. In 1959, she released ''La cueca'' and ''La tonada''. The following year, she founded the National Museum of Folkloric Art (Museo Nacional de Arte Folklórico) in Concepción, under the University of Concepción (Universidad de Concepción). During this time, she composed many décimas, a Latin American poetry form for which she is well known. In the following years, she built her house "Casa de Palos" on Segovia Street, in the municipality of La Reina. She continued giving recitals in major cultural centers in Santiago, travelling all over the country to research, organize concerts, and give lectures and workshops about folklore. She travelled north to investigate and record the religious festival "La Tirana". Violeta Parra exerted a significant influence on Héctor Pavez and Gabriela Pizarro, who would become great performers and researchers in their own right. The product of this collaboration is evident in the play "La Celebración de la Minga" staged at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago. She composed the music for the documentaries ''Wicker'' and ''Trilla'', and contributed to the film ''Casamiento de negros'', performed by Sergio Bravo. She wrote the book ''Cantos Folklóricos Chilenos'', which gathered all the research conducted so far, with photographs by Sergio Larraín and musical scores performed by Gastón Soublette (Santiago, Nascimento, 1979). She also wrote the ''Décimas autobiográficas'', work in verse recounting her from her childhood to her trip to Europe. She developed a serious interest in ceramics, painting and arpillera embroidery. As a result of severe hepatitis in 1959 that forced her to stay in bed, her work as a painter and arpillerista was developed greatly, so much so that that same year, she exhibited her oil paintings and arpilleras at both the First and Second Outdoor Exhibition of Fine Arts in Santiago's Parque Forestal. On 4 October 1960, the day of her birthday, she met Swiss clarinetist Gilbert Favre with whom she became romantically involved. In 1961, she traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she exhibited her paintings, appeared on TV, gave recitals at the Teatro IFT, and recorded an album of original songs for EMI Odeon – which was banned.

Second trip to Europe

In June 1962 she returned to Santiago. With her children Isabel and Angel, and her granddaughter Tita, she embarked, with the Chilean delegation, for Finland to participate in the 8th "World Festival of Youth and Students" held in Helsinki. After touring the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy and France, Violeta Parra moved to Paris, where she performed at La Candelaria and L'Escale, in the Latin Quarter, gave recitals at the "Théâtre Des Nations" of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and performed on radio and television with her children. She then started living with Gilbert Favre in Geneva, dividing her time between France and Switzerland, where she also gave concerts, appeared in TV and exhibited her art. In 1963 she recorded in Paris, revolutionary and peasant songs, which would be published in 1971 under the title ''Songs rediscovered in Paris'' She wrote the book ''Popular Poetry of the Andes''. The Parras took part in the concert of "

L'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...

" (official newspaper of the French Communist Party). An Argentine musician friend recorded at her home a version of "El Gavilán" ("The Hawk"), interpreted by Violeta Parra accompanied by her granddaughter on percussion. Violeta accompanied her children in the LP ''Los Parra de Chillán'' for the Barclay label. She began playing the

cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

, an instrument of Venezuelan origin, and the charango, an instrument of Bolivian origin. In April 1964 she did an exhibition of her arpilleras, oil paintings and wire sculptures in the Museum of Decorative Arts of the Louvre – the first solo exhibition of a Latin American artist at the museum. In 1965, the publisher François Maspero, Paris, published her book ''Poésie Populaire des Andes''. In Geneva, Swiss television made a documentary about the artist and her work, ''Violeta Parra, Chilean Embroiderer''.

Return to South America

Favre and Parra returned to South America, in June 1965. Violeta recorded two 45s, one with her daughter Isabel and another to instrumental music for cuatro and quena with Gilbert Favre, whom she christened "El Tocador Afuerino" (The outsider musician). Her music now incorporated the Venezuelan cuatro and the Bolivian charango. EMI Odeon circulated the LP ''Remembering Chile (a Chilean in Paris)'', whose cover was illustrated with her own arpilleras. Soon after, however, Favre and Parra broke up, provoked by his desire to live in Bolivia where he was part of a successful Bolivian music act, Los Jairas. Parra's energy was invested in reviving a version of the Peña (now known as "La Peña de Los Parra"), a community center for the arts and for political activism. Parra's Peña was a tent (somewhat similar looking to a circus tent) that she set up on a 30 x 30-meter piece of land in the Parque La Quintrala, at number 340 Carmen Street, in today's La Reina municipality of Santiago, in the area once known as la Cañada. Her tent hosted musical spectacles where she often sang with her children, and she and her children also lived on the same land. In La Reina, at La Cañada 7200, she also established a cultural center called "La Carpa de la Reina" inaugurated on 17 December 1965. She also installed a folk peña in the International Fair of Santiago (FISA), where she was invited. On the same year, she participated in numerous national television programs and signed a contract with Radio Minería which would be the last radio station to be used as a platform for her work. Under the EMI Odeón label, she released the LP ''La Carpa de La Reina'' in 1966, featuring three songs performed by Violeta Parra and nine by guest artists announced at the carpa by Violeta herself. She travelled to La Paz to meet with Gilbert Favre, where she regularly appeared in the Peña Naira. She came back to Chile with

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...

groups, presenting them in her carpa, on television, and in her children's Peña. She also performed in concert at the Chilean southern cities of Osorno and

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Are ...

, invited by René Largo Farias, under the "Chile Ríe y Canta" ("Chile Laughs and Sings") program. Accompanied by her children and Uruguayan Alberto Zapicán, she recorded for RCA Victor the LP ''The Last Compositions of Violeta Parra''. In that year, Favre returned briefly to Chile with his group, but declined to stay, because in the meantime he had married in Bolivia.

"Gracias a la Vida"

Parra composed " Gracias a la Vida" in La Paz in 1966. In 1971 the song was popularized throughout Latin America by Mercedes Sosa, and later in Brazil by

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 2002), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and Pedro Mariano. She became national ...

and in the US by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

. It remains one of the most covered Latin American songs in history. Other covers of the folk anthem include the Italian guitar-vocal solo of Adriana Mezzadri and La Oreja de Van Gogh at the 2005

Viña del Mar International Song Festival , image = , caption =Overture to the closing night of LI Viña del Mar International Song Festival (2010) , location =Viña del Mar, Chile , years_active =1960-present , founders = , dates =3rd week of February , ...

. It has been treated by classically trained musicians such as in the fully orchestrated rendition by conservatory-trained Alberto Cortez. The song was re-recorded by several Latin artists, Canadian

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...

to gather funds for the Chilean people affected by the earthquake in Chile, February 2010, and American singer-songwriter

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

from her fifth studio album

Star-Crossed "Star-crossed" or "star-crossed lovers" is a phrase describing a pair of lovers who, for some external reason, cannot be together. The term also has other meanings, but originally means that the pairing is being "thwarted by a malign star" or ...

. It opens with a very common shift between A minor and E major chords, then it goes to G7-C/C7 before returning to the Am/E motif. "Gracias a la vida" was written and recorded in 1964–65, following Parra's separation from her long-term partner. It was released in ''Las Últimas Composiciones'' (1966), the last album Parra published before taking her life in 1967. Parra's lyrics are ambiguous at first: the song may be read as a romantic celebration of life and individual experience, but the circumstances surrounding the song suggest that Parra also intended the song as a sort of suicide note, thanking life for all it has given her. It may be read as ironic, pointing out that a life full of good health, opportunity and worldly experience may not offer any consolation to grief and the contradictory nature of the human condition. :''Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto'' :''Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro'' :''Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco'' :''Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado'' :''Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo'' Translated into English: :''Thanks to life, which has given me so much'' :''It gave me two bright stars that when I open them,'' :''I perfectly distinguish the black from white'' :''And in the sky above, her starry backdrop'' :''And within the multitudes the man I love''

"Volver a los Diecisiete"

Another highly regarded song – the last she wrote – is "Volver a los Diecisiete" ("Being Seventeen Again"). It celebrates the themes of youthful life, in tragic contrast to her biography. Unlike much popular music, it moves through minor key progression creating an introspective if not melancholy mood and thus has lent itself to classical treatment as well as popular music. Despite its originality, Parra's music was deeply rooted in folk song traditions, as is the case with Nueva Canción in general.

Death and legacy

In 1967 Parra died by suicide via gunshot. Several memorials were held after her death, both in Chile and abroad. She was an inspiration for several Latin-American artists, such as Victor Jara and the musical movement of the "Nueva Cancion Chilena", which renewed interest in Chilean folklore. In 1992, the Violeta Parra Foundation was founded at the initiative of her children, with the aim to group, organize and disseminate her still-unpublished work. Rodolfo Braceli's book ''Y Ahora, la Resucitada de la Violenta Violeta'' was adapted into a play called ''Violeta Viene a Nacer'', starring Argentinian actress Virginia Lago in 1993 and 1994. In 1997, with the participation of Violeta Parra Foundation and the Department of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, her visual work was exhibited in the Museum of Decorative Arts of the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, Paris. In 2007, the 90th anniversary of her birth was commemorated with an exhibition of her visual work at the

Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda ("Palacio de La Moneda Cultural Center") is a cultural facility located in Santiago, Chile, under the Citizenry Square, in the southern façade of the Palacio de La Moneda. It is intended to place the Chil ...

and the release of a collection of her art work titled, "Visual Work of Violeta Parra". 4 October 2015 marked the inauguration of the Violeta Parra Museum (Museo Violeta Parra) in Santiago, Chile. On 4 October 2017, Google celebrated her 100th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

Arson at Memorial Museum

During the

2019–2022 Chilean protests The 2019–2022 Chilean protests, known in Chile as the ''Estallido Social'' (lit. ''social outburst''), are a series of massive demonstrations and severe riots that originated in Santiago and spread to all regions of Chile, with a greater impact ...

the Museo Violeta Parra was attacked unsuccessfully by (presumably unknown) arsonists on 7 February 2020 and then further damaged on 28 February 2020. At the time the museum "indicated that there is no work of Violeta at risk".

Film

'' Violeta Went to Heaven'' (Spanish: ''Violeta se fue a los cielos'') is a 2011 Chilean biopic about singer and folklorist Violeta Parra, directed by Andrés Wood. The film is based on an eponymous book, a biography, written by Ángel Parra, Violeta's son with Luis Cereceda Arenas. Parra collaborated on the film. The film was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in H ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist. The film won Sundance's 2012 World Cinema Dramatic Jury Prize.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Chants et danses du chili Vol. 1'' (1956) * ''Chants et danses du chili. Vol. 2'' (1956) * ''Violeta Parra, Canto y guitarra. El Folklore de Chile, Vol. I'' (1956) * ''Violeta Parra, acompañada de guitarra. El Folklore de Chile, Vol. II'' (1958) * ''La cueca presentada por Violeta Parra: El Folklore de Chile, Vol. III.'' (1958) * ''La tonada presentada por Violeta Parra: El Folklore de Chile, Vol. IV.'' (1958) * ''Toda Violeta Parra: El Folklore de Chile, Vol. VIII'' (1960) * ''Violeta Parra, guitare et chant: Chants et danses du Chili.'' (1963) * ''Recordandeo a Chile (Una Chilena en París).'' (1965) * ''Carpa de la Reina'' (1966) * ''Las últimas composiciones de Violeta Parra'' (1967)

Posthumous discography

* ''Violeta Parra y sus canciones reencontradas en París'' (1971) * ''Canciones de Violeta Parra'' (1971) * ''Le Chili de Violeta Parra'' (1974) * ''Un río de sangre'' (1975) * ''Presente / Ausente'' (1975) * ''Décimas'' (1976) * ''Chants & rythmes du Chili '' (1991) * ''El hombre con su razón'' (1992) * ''Décimas y Centésimas'' (1993) * ''El folklore y la pasión'' (1994) * ''Haciendo Historia: La jardinera y su canto'' (1997) * ''Violeta Parra: Antología'' (1998) * ''Canciones reencontradas en París'' (1999) * ''Composiciones para guitarra'' (1999) * ''Violeta Parra – En Ginebra, En Vivo, 1965'' (1999) * ''Violeta Parra: Cantos Campesinos'' (1999)

References

External links

Songs, poems, and videos

Discography and lyrics

Issac 2001 Triptych version of ''Gracias A la Vida''
*
Violeta Parra Museum
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parra, Violeta Violeta Parra 1917 births 1967 suicides Chilean communists Chilean folk singers 20th-century Chilean women singers Chilean women singer-songwriters Nueva canción musicians Suicides by firearm in Chile Chilean folklorists Latin music songwriters Chilean autobiographers Women autobiographers Women folklorists Women in Latin music