Atahualpa Yupanqui (; born Héctor Roberto Chavero Aramburu; 31 January 1908 – 23 May 1992) was an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
-
Spanish singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered one of the most important Argentine
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
ians of the 20th century.
Biography
Yupanqui was born Héctor Roberto Chavero Aramburu in
Pergamino (
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers from Buenos Aires. His father was a
mestizo
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
of
Quechua and
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
origins, while his mother was born in the
Basque country.
His family moved to the city of
Tucumán in northwestern Argentina when he was nine. In a bow to two legendary
Incan kings, he adopted the stage name
Atahualpa Yupanqui.
In his early years, Yupanqui traveled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the
Altiplano studying the indigenous cultures. He became politically active and joined the
Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed
Kennedy brothers uprising against the de facto government of
José Félix Uriburu and in support of deposed president
Hipólito Yrigoyen. After the uprising was defeated, he was forced to seek refuge in
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the RÃo de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the RÃo de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "
Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during
Juan Perón's presidency. He was detained and incarcerated several times. Between 1944 and 1949, he was exiled in Uruguay. In 1944 he was hired by Samuel V. de León to perform in the city of
Durazno for the benefit of students of the city, who had been collecting money to fundraise for the Misiones Socio Pedagógicas. To mark his first visit to the city he composed "A orillas del YÃ", and dedicated it to Julio MartÃnez Oyanguren. In 1949, he travelled to Europe.
Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris on 7 July 1950, and he soon signed a contract with
Le Chant du Monde, the recording company that published his first LP in Europe, ''Minero Soy'' (I am a miner). This record won first prize for best foreign disc at an international folklore contest at the
Académie Charles Cros, which had three hundred fifty participants from around the world. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances. With Nenette, they constructed their house on Cerro Colorado (
Córdoba).
Recognition of Yupanqui's
ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and
nueva canción
(European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, characterized by folk music, folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. is widely recognized to have played a profou ...
artists such as
Facundo Cabral,
Mercedes Sosa and
Jorge Cafrune recorded his compositions and made him popular among younger musicians, who referred to him as ''Don Ata''.
From 1963 to 1964, he toured
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, Japan,
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina and appeared in
ArgentinÃsima II in 1973, but these visits became less frequent after
Jorge Videla and his military dictatorship came to power in 1976.
Awards and recognition
In February 1968, Yupanqui was named a knight of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
by the French Ministry of Culture, in honor of his 18 years of work enriching the literature of the French nation. Some of his songs are included in the programs of institutes and schools where Castilian literature is taught.
In 1985, the Argentinian
Konex Foundation granted him the Diamond
Konex Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Argentina, as the most important popular musician in the last decade in his country.
In 1989, the
University of Nanterre, France, commissioned Yupanqui to write the lyrics of a cantata to commemorate the
bicentenary of the
French Revolution. The piece, entitled "The Sacred Word" (), was a tribute to oppressed peoples.
Death
Yupanqui died in Nîmes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; his remains were cremated and dispersed on his beloved Colorado Hill on 8 June 1992.
Best-known songs
Yupanqui's best-known compositions include:
* "Basta Ya"
[Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - World Music: The Rough Guide. Latin and North America, .2000 -.. - Page 371 "A fine retrospective released after Yupanqui's death in May 1992, featuring the best of his repertoire, including the classic "Basta ya" ("Enough of the Yankee telling us what to do"). Magia de Atahualpa Yupanqui (Toshiba. EMI, Japan)."]
* "
Los Hermanos"
* "Viene clareando"
* "El arriero"
* "Zamba del grillo"
* "La añera"
* "La pobrecita"
* "Milonga del peón de campo"
* "Camino del indio"
* "Chacarera de las piedras"
* "Recuerdos del Portezuelo"
* "El alazán"
* "Indiecito dormido"
* "El aromo"
* "Le tengo rabia al silencio"
* "Piedra y camino"
* "Luna tucumana"
* "
Los Ejes De Mi Carreta"
* "Sin caballo y en Montiel"
* "Cachilo dormido"
* "Tú que puedes vuélvete"
* "Nada mas"
* "Preguntitas sobre Dios"
* "La arribeña"
* "La colorada"
Books
* ''Piedra sola'' (1940)
* ''Aires indios'' (1943)
* ''Cerro Bayo'' (1953)
* ''Guitarra'' (1960)
* ''El canto del viento'' (1965)
* ''El payador perseguido'' (1972)
* ''La Capataza'' (1992)
Albums
* ''Hits Collection'' Yupanqui Atahualpa
* ''Basta Ya'' 2006
* ''¡Soy Libre! ¡Soy Bueno!'' (1968)
References
External links
Profile of Atahualpa YupanquiMuchas Gracias Atahualpa Educational and cultural project promoting the work of Don Atahualpa Yupanqui. The site contains videos, songs, poetry, books, testimonials and awards.
*
Quotes from his music.
Official site – Fundacion Atahualpa YupanquiDiscography, books and other
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yupanqui, Atahualpa
1908 births
1992 deaths
Argentine people of Quechua descent
Argentine people of Basque descent
Argentine male guitarists
20th-century Argentine male singers
Argentine male singer-songwriters
Argentine singer-songwriters
Argentine male writers
People from Pergamino
Nueva canción musicians
20th-century Argentine guitarists
Argentine folk singers
Spanish-language singers of Argentina