Rolando Alarcón

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alarcón and the second or maternal family name is Soto.
Rolando Alarcón
Rolando-Alarcón-Soto1.jpg
Background information
Birth nameRolando Alarcón Soto
Born(1929-08-05)August 5, 1929
OriginSantiago de Chile
DiedFebruary 4, 1973(1973-02-04) (aged 43)
GenresFolk
Nueva Canción
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
teacher
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1951–1973
Associated actsCuncumén
Silvia Urbina
Websiterolandoalarcon.cl

Rolando Alarcón Soto (Santiago de Chile, August 5, 1929 – February 4, 1973), was a Chilean singer-songwriter and teacher, known for compositions like "Si somos americanos", "Mocito que vas Remando", "Doña Javiera Carrera" or "El hombre".

Biography[]

Early life[]

Rolando Alarcón Soto born on August 5, 1929 in Santiago de Chile, son of a primary school teacher and a miner,[1] he lived most of his childhood and adolescence in Sewell and Chillan respectively.[2] During his stay in Chillan during his youth, he studied guitar and piano.[3] In the 1950s Alarcón moved to Santiago de Chile, where he trained as a teacher, teaching in public schools and high schools. In 1955, as a result of one of the summer Seasonal Schools taught by Margot Loyola at the University of Chile, formed the Cuncumén group, in which Alarcon took over as artistic director. He would hold the position for seven years, during which time the folk group toured Chile and Europe extensively, and recorded six albums.[1]

Career[]

In 1960 his first album titled "Traditional Chilean Songs", was released in United States on the Folkways Records label, it was recorded when Alarcón was still part of group Cuncumén. The album consists mainly of Rolando's interpretations of songs Chileans folkloric songs of the 19th century. In 1988 the label "Alerce" reissued the album under the title "Canciones tradicionales",[4] In 1962, after a tour of the socialist European countries, Alarcón and Silvia Urbina (also a former member of Cuncumén), formed a duo, and they recorded a single with Russian songs and six own songs,[1] among them, "Doña Javiera Carrera" (song that won a college songwriting competition).[5] Urbina and Alarcón joined the "La imagen de Chile" tour, which toured Peru, Panama and United States.[1] During 1963 composed some solo songs like: "¿A dónde vas, soldado?" (Where are you going, soldier?), which gender controversy due to its antimilitarist content. In addition, he wrote songs of social commitment such as "Yo Defiendo a Mi Tierra" (I defend my land); and others more linked to the Chilean tradition, such as "Mocito que vas Remando" (Little boy you're going rowing).[3]

Upon his return, the professor joined the cast of "La pérgola de las flores" (The pergola of flowers), for a tour to Mexico, a trip in which he composed: "Si somos Americans" (If we are Americans),[1] a song of clear continental feeling,[3] that was included in 1965 on the album Rolando Alarcón y sus canciones, his first solo work. In 1967 he released "El nuevo Rolando Alarcón", where the composer's turn was towards social contingency and towards sounds that moved away from folklore and approached other more modern expressions, the album included rhythms performed along with Los Tickets. In 1968 he recorded and published the album Canciones de la Guerra Civil Española (Songs of the Spanish Civil War), on his just created record label, "Tiempo" (one of the few albums of his today available on the market).[1] According to the back cover of the LP, all the songs are popular Spanish songs, except "No pasarán" (Not pass), which would belong to Rolando. Carlos Valladares and Enrique San Martín from Los Emigrantes participated in the musical accompaniment,[6] Beginning his relationship with the duo Los Emigrantes, made up of Enrique San Martín and Carlos Valladares.[1]

In 1967 he participated for the first time in the Festival of Viña and achieved third place with "Niña climbs a la lancha", performed by Pedro Messone (a song that in 2000 was chosen among the ten best in the history of the festival). In 1969 she got an honorable mention at the First Festival of the Nueva Canción Chilena with the song titled "Canción de Juan el pobre",[1] in 1970, he won on the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, with the song "El hombre", performed by Los Emigrantes.[3] In 1971, was released on the label, Canta a los poetas soviéticos (Sing to the Soviet Poets), where he performs the work of the poet Yevgeni Yevtushenko and the singer-songwriter Bulat Shalvovich.[7]

In 1972 released his last studio album titled "El alma de mi pueblo" that featured the participation of the duo Los Emigrantes, a group adherent to the Popular Unity.[8] By that date Alarcón was a determined activist in the campaign that would lead Salvador Allende and the Popular Unity to the command of political power in Chile. As an enthusiast for the cause, he participated intensely, until in 1973, in the middle of a "Chile Ríe y Canta" tour, his heart broke when he tried to push a bus on the Matadero-Palma route, in which the cast of the rock was traveling. An old ulcer caused internal bleeding and he died on February 4 in Santiago.[1]

Posthumous recognitions[]

After his death, the composed "Canción para Rolando" in homage to Alarcón.[9] In 2009, the teacher Carlos Valladares and the journalist Manuel Vilches published the book Rolando Alarcón: La canción en la noche (Rolando Alarcón, the song in the night), through Editora Nacional Quimantú, which talks about the life and work of the troubadour.[10] In addition, It revealed how damaging it was for Alarcon to be homosexual,[5] the Communist Party of Chile came to punish him for these reasons.[11] In 2010 Rolando was one of the "eight Bicentennial authors" of the Olmué Festival being represented by Las Cuatro Brujas.[12]

On February 4, 2013, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the departure of the folklorist, a concert was held at the Mesón Nerudiano restaurant, where musicians Eduardo Peralta, Rafael Manríquez,  [es], Marcos Acevedo, and Max Berrú, participated.[13] In 2013 it was also announced that the book written by Vilches y Valladares would be relaunched and, in turn, a tribute album would be released with the participation of artists from Nueva Canción Chilena and Neofolklore.[14] In 2015 was finally re-released the book.[5] In July 2019 it was announced that a marathon recital would be held on August 5 of that year where 25 artists would perform the same number of compositions and interpretations by Alarcón at Casa Arrau.[15]

Discography[]

Studio albums

  • Traditional Chilean Songs (Folkways Records) (1960; reissued in 1988 by Alerce label)
  • Chile nuevo vol. 1 (1964)
  • Rolando Alarcón y sus canciones (RCA Victor) (1965)
  • La peña de los Parra (1965)
  • Rolando Alarcón (RCA Victor) (1966)
  • El nuevo Rolando Alarcón (EMI Odeón Chilena) (1967)
  • Canciones de la Guerra Civil Española (Astral) (1968)
  • Voz para el camino (1968)
  • El mundo folklórico de Rolando Alarcón (Astral) (1969)
  • A la resistencia española (1969)
  • Por Cuba y Vietnam (1969)
  • El hombre (1970)
  • Chile ríe y canta (1970)
  • Canta a los poetas soviéticos () (1971)
  • Canciones desde una prisión (1971)
  • El alma de mi pueblo (1972)

Compilation albums

  • Todo Rolando Alarcón (1998)

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rolando Alarcón". MusicaPopular.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "Texto biográfico busca hacer justicia al fallecido folclorista Rolando Alarcón". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Rolando Alarcón". Memoria Chilena from Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Rolando Alarcón: Traditional chilean songs (1960)". Perrerac.org (in Spanish). January 22, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Alarcón, Rodrigo (January 31, 2015). "La desconocida vida del profesor Rolando Alarcón". Radio Universidad de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rolando Alarcón: Canciones de la guerra civil española (1968)". Perrerac.org (in Spanish). Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Rolando Alarcón: Canta a los poetas soviéticos (1971)". Perrerac.org (in Spanish). Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Los 90 años de Rolando Alarcón: La vida profunda de un músico marginado". El Ciudadano (in Spanish). July 31, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "Grupo Lonqui". MusicaPopular.cl, la enciclopedia de la música chilena (in Spanish). Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Rolando Alarcón: La canción en la noche". Cancioneros.com. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "Los cien años del PC". 24 horas (in Spanish). December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Publican completa biografía del legendario músico Rolando Alarcón | Emol.com". El Mercurio (in Spanish). January 4, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Concierto y disco a los 40 años de la muerte de Rolando Alarcón". Cancioneros.com. January 31, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "Con música, biografía y disco de homenaje recordarán al cantor chileno Rolando Alarcón". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Hevia, David (July 31, 2019). "25 artistas interpretarán creaciones de Rolando Alarcón en inédito tributo". La Tercera. Retrieved December 21, 2021.

External links[]

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