Julián Rejala (1907-1981) was a Paraguayan guitarists.
He was born in a small town of
Aregua, in the
Central Department
Central () is a Departments of Paraguay, department in Paraguay. The capital is Areguá. With 1,883,927 inhabitants, it is the most populated of the 17 departments of Paraguay. It is also the smallest department, with a total area of .
Geogra ...
of
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, called “Kokué Guazú”, on February 16, 1907.
He studied guitar with Enriqueta González and interested in theatre he work in Julio Correa's Company, the great creator of Guaraní Theatre.
First steps
In 1934 he formed the Conjunto Folklórico Guaraní (Folkloric Guaraní Group), bringing in Santiago Cortessi, Jorge Caballero, Agustín Cáceres, Agustín Larramendia, José L. Melgarejo, Fidelino Castro Chamorro, and others.
This group was active during and after the
Chaco War
The Chaco War (, [Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...]
from 1932 to 1935). In the beginning the group was under the direction of Roque Centurión Miranda with the name “Elenco Chaco Paraguayo” (Paraguayan Chaco Cast). After the war he founded the first folkloric dancing group in Paraguay, becoming a pioneer in a genre that has continued to develop up through the present.
Career
In 1940 he did presentations in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and joined in Asunción, to Erika Milée's Dance Academy, in Asunción, in quality of professor. In 1944 he continued to teach in the Agrupación Tradicionalista Guaraní (Guaraní Traditional Group).
Many outstanding musicians were in his group. He researched and compiled many folkloric dances and had the great merit of rescuing many traditional dances that were almost forgotten.
Between 1960 and 1965 he did many recordings in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, Brazil.
Work
His most well-known songs include:
* “Che reja guive”
* “Morena mía”
* “Sùplica”
* “Olimpia”
* “Alguna vez”
* “Morena mí”
* “Mi brasileñita”
* “Mi folklore”
* “La conquista de Yrendague”
Awards
Among his awards are the Mention of Honor in the First National Exhibit in Paraguay (1940) and the award to the Best Artistic Direction in the International Folklore Competition in Salta, Argentina (1966). He was founder member of the “Autores Paraguayos Asociados – APA” (Association of Paraguayan Authors) and the “Asociación de Escritores Guaraníes – ADEG (Guaraní Writers Association).
His family
He was married to the great singer and teacher Wilma Ferreira.
Last years
He died in Asunción on July 13, 1981.
References
Centro Cultural de la República El Cabildo* Diccionario Biográfico "FORJADORES DEL PARAGUAY", Primera Edición enero de 2000. Distribuidora Quevedo de Ediciones. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
External links
GeocitiesCasa De La Independencia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rejeda, Julian
20th-century Paraguayan male singers
1907 births
1981 deaths
People from Areguá