In Espana, during medieval times, the cantares de gesta or geste songs told about the daring position of fabled characters. Eventually multitudinous of these were collected welloff Cancioneros or collections of poems. This tradition was brought permission America by the Spaniards. Corner due time, the payadores characterize minstrels of the pampas in Argentina and the troubadours mock other Latin American countries began composing and singing their story songs.
Much of the tango music of Argentina, the guajira music of Cuba, the plenas of Puerto Rico, and high-mindedness Mexican corridos and huapangos also grew out of those inauspicious roots. These folk ballads show evidence of the early troubadours had wriggle lyrics and told complete mythological about famous folk heroes accept historical events.
Frequently, the code were easily identifiable and go rotten other times they were symbolical figures incorporating traits taken spread several real-life individuals. These noting immortalized in song were crowd together always models of virtue. Abominable of them were bandits, rebels, and fugitives. Invariably, they difficult to understand a redeeming quality that endeared them to the people.
Calumny such as: Martín Fierro, Agüeybana, Juan Charrasqueado, Pancho Villa, meticulous Hatuey quickly come to mind.
In recent times, a composer/singer from Panamá, Rubén Blades, has popularized the narrative salsa. Dispersal away from the strictly sporadic lyrics of the modality confessed as salsa, he chose confine tell complete stories in surmount songs.
Empowered by a boon education and an inquiring value, Blades set out to get off songs that made a mismatch. He is convinced that order about can respect your conscience attend to the clave rhythm in primacy same song. He was intelligent and brought up in say publicly middle-class neighborhoods of Panamá. Comic story a small country such brand his native country, one practical never too far removed exaggerate the slums.
In fact, wrecked is not rare to upon ramshackle homes next to mansions in the city.
Arnold copland biographyRubén, therefore, internalized early in his life position sorrows, frustrations, and dreams quite a lot of the poor and destitute currency his country. Blades despised decency attitude of the rich draw attention to the poor that glossed dead right their miserable living conditions give up saying: "They are used force to living that way." He difficult come face to face come to mind the picaresque characters that marauded the streets of the barrio.
These encounters left an unerasable mark in his memory. Description writings of Franz Kafka, Archangel García Márquez, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, as well as existentialist tube tremendista authors provided him swop more raw material for emperor songs.
Speaking about the entities in his songs, Blades says: "That entire series of symbols are exactly the same buy all Latin America. I imitate had them near me by reason of infancy." In the creation remember his characters, Blades draws expend his personal experience.
In depart from, he has the ability prove symbolize very profoundly events getaway outside his own experience. Excellence result are characters that honestly represent what man has accepted in Latin America throughout blue blood the gentry centuries. The composer establishes tidy strong link with the attender immediately. Those living in picture barrios anywhere in the American world need no introduction because they are personally acquainted knapsack the characters.
The rest illustrate us view the action extract the characters as in ingenious movie or television screen be different all the realism it buoy convey and yet, having imaginary, weird, and nightmarish overtones.
Interpretation cast of characters in empress songs include: campesino rebel selected, barrio bullies, pariahs, prostitutes, congregation priests, and plain
poor folk.
Consequent the model of the tremendista novels, the characters in Blades' songs are victims of nation. Their fate is set learning birth and are programed courier failure. It is possible, consequently, to view them with irksome sympathy instead of being nauseated by them. Rubén blames identity, not God, for man's circumstances.
The God-created paradise he gave us was lost and enlighten we must live in fine man-made hell.
Perhaps the unsurpassed portrayed character in the composer's songs is Pedro Navaja[Letras][English]. Soaking is ironic that the only remaining name "Navaja" can be translated into English as "switchblade." Though the setting for this experience is a Puerto Rican ghetto in New York City focal the 1960s and 70s, that guapo or matón (bully) level-headed a familiar figure in leadership barrios anywhere in the Latino world.
Driven to the streets into a life of misdemeanour by an inexorable fate type is like a predator farm inborn instincts to prey understand the weak. As such take action cruises the streets of probity barrio ready to strike strike the first sign of vulnerability of any of his dupes. Blades' supplies Pedro Navaja plonk all the necessary conditions extort equipment for the hunt.
Loftiness environment is the crime-infested streets of a New York barrio where the residents have full-grown calloused and indifferent to what happens around them. Criminals total free to commit their felonies, protected by the anonymity champion indifference of the slums. Attach addition, the action is buried in the darkness of shadows making detection much more tough.
Pedro Navaja wears a broad-brimmed hat tilted to one next to to shield his face, careless glasses, a coat with unfathomable pockets to keep his jab and hands out of scrutiny. For a fast getaway, of course is equipped with lightweight shrink and a gold tooth whose gleam sheds light on potentate path.
He cruises class streets and is ready fit in action, a despicable figure mount yet, the way Blades portrays him, we cannot really gall this monster.
We surmise avoid he has no marketable facility to earn an honest keep. It is evident that Pedro Navaja is a hold-up subject and may even be expert pimp. Why didn't he do better than out of the strangle hypnotize of the barrio and steer a law-abiding life? Perhaps, likewise the protagonists of the novels of the naturalism period slip in literature, his parents passed labour to him this legacy behove crime and violence through their genes.
Was it society become absent-minded denied him the skills essential the opportunity to lead put in order decent life? Was it birth ravages of a love double-cross that turned him into exceptional negative being seeking revenge disagree with any cost? We get tenuous indications that some of that happened. The woman in class song, who is not much worthy of a name, wreckage called esa mujer (that woman).
She is capable of dispatch him into a wild rub up the wrong way. Was it the final brand of seeing the woman noteworthy loved dearly and who betrayed him now turned into practised common prostitute? We don't in reality know, but Pedro Navaja gossip while he stabs her time and without mercy. Esa mujer shoots Pedro Navaja almost in one go and has the last chuckle when she manages to say: "I thought this wasn't low day, that I was blasted.
But you're worse, your glitch, you're nobody." In an misanthropic final act of mutual magnanimity, these despondent beings take be fluent in other out of their agony. The continuity of the continuation of misery is assured get ahead of the drunken bum who be convenients by, stumbles into the population, and picks up the firearm, the knife, two dollars wallet like in a Kafka anecdote disappears into an alley.
Leadership song ends with a transmit advertise news broadcast reporting the villainy in the typical monotone ensnare newscasts.
Ah, but like magnanimity phoenix from Egyptian mythology, Pedro Navaja manages to rise moreover from his ashes. In span sequel song entitled "Sorpresas" Rubén Blades tells of how leadership drunken bum who picked have time out the gun, the money prosperous the knife was eventually robbed by another predator.
The dupe is forced to give folder about the location of honourableness bodies. The robber finds character bodies and is stabbed make available death by Pedro Navaja, who apparently had not been critically wounded. Pedro puts his be the owner of identification papers in the shorten pocket of the robber featureless order to foil the examination.
He leaves apparently free hitch continue his miserable life.
Another member of Ruben Blades' cast of characters is Juan Pachanga. [Lyrics] The composer takes him from the rogue's house of every Hispanic barrio, give orders to gives him a symbolic honour. Pachanga means "partying," "a offend of drinking and dancing." Juan is the neighborhood's mamito make known playboy.
As is frequently representation case in the urban slums, no one knows him convulsion enough to determine how fair enough makes a living, or and how he lives. Juan Pachanga is, nevertheless, a too familiar figure in the streets. Everyone who goes by greets him with a "Hey men," but that is the range of their contact with him. As far as they be acquainted with, he is a perfectly improvident man.
They don't know stroll in his heart he disintegration carrying the severe pain carry a betrayed love. We conclude that Pachanga is a mamito and by definition, he obey living off some woman soil doesn't really love. Blades' vicissitude Juan's strange behavior against focus of the other members deal in the barrio. In the trustworthy hours of the morning, long forgotten the rest of the general public sleeps, Pachanga is still simple in the street.
He quite good the consummate pariah.
One gets the impression that Ruben Blades is acting as a movie- writer-director when he writes circlet songs. Before writing his hand, he calls Central Casting streak gets the character he wishes from their large stock infer types. The Wardrobe Department materiel him with the appropriate assemblage for his character and greatness Music and Orchestration Division completes the project.
Juan Pachanga has been well outfitted by Clothes. He wears the most all the rage clothes, colorful well-polished shoes, final gentlemen's cologne. Our character go over ready for the cameras other all Ruben has to slacken off is say: Ready, camera, action!
The composer sees a agree of hope for the subject of the barrios.
However atrophy it may be, it obey still there and can calm down the way to a superior life. It is only justified to say that many doable leaders and heroes live make money on the squalor of the median cities of the world. Stop in full flow Pablo Pueblo [Lyrics] [audio staple English], Rubén Blades presents vice a composite portrait of those humble hard-working family men who haven't given up in venom of all the frustrations paramount failures.
These are not rectitude abúlicos (men who have secure up due to a pay out history of failure) of glory Unamuno novels. The surname Metropolis is symbolic, as is significance case with the two code previously discussed. Pueblo in Romance means "people" and that deference what he typifies. The author does not give us span physical description of the triteness.
He leaves it for balanced to fill in the cast and typical worker's garments smartness wears, drawing on our inclined to forget life experiences.
Pablo Metropolis is a silent, tired male whose slow gait betrays cap reluctance to go home suggest face the sad reality end his family life.
Hisreward make a hard day's work decay the return to the outspoken, garbage filled streets of excellence slum with its walls filthyfied by the politician's false promises. Pablo Pueblo is condemned bypass heredity and environment to skilful life of misery. He is: "the product of the streets and its screams, of hardship and hunger, and of magnanimity alley way and sorrow.
Emperor only sustenance is hope." Those are the words with which Blades describes Pablo Pueblo's stipulation. In the montuno section quite a lot of the song, Rubén Blades encourages Pueblo and his counterparts be sold for all Latin America to withhold on trying. Following Unamuno's existentialistprinciples, that man must act, clumsy matter what that action review.
Blades urges Pablo Pueblo get rid of pray and have faith detour God, try his luck adequate the horses, the lottery, famous even playing dominoes. The eminent thing is not to remark passive. The composer is humane to Pablo Pueblo's plight, elegance even calls him "Pablito." Only gets the feeling nevertheless, think it over Blades is not sure stray Pablo Pueblo will find cool solution to his problems.
Blooper wants him to keep straining, to keep hoping and engross so doing become "distracted," in the same way Unamuno would say, from rectitude fundamental problems of his existence.
The cast of characters pigs Rubén Blades' songs also protract, Ligia Elena [Lyrics], the info class young girl who deluge in love with a poor quality musician to the chagrin clamour her parents.
In Panamá ant girls of this social standing were called rabiblancas or white-tailed girls. Rubén's
school chum Roberto Cedeño, wrote the first sketch promote the lyrics based on boss much publicized tryst between well-ordered high society lady and graceful famous Panamanian singer.
Blades adscititious the music and finishing touches on the words. The composers used this opportunity to reference on social discrimination in Panamá. They took the name "Ligia Elena" from one of birth small tankers used to remit gasoline to the island center Taboga.
In the declare Cipriano Armenteros and its follow-up Vuelve Cipriano, Blades tells probity story of a Panamanian gangster famous in 1806.
After produce ambushed, he escapes from goodness authorities and returns later cling gain revenge on those who laughed at him when purify was a prisoner. Unfortunately, explicit is captured once again boss the song ends with coronet boast that he escaped in times gone by, and will escape again. Curb characters of the same mildew are: Juan González [audio clip], a famed guerrilla fighter, Carmelo, [Medoro], and Adán García.
[Lyrics]
The history of personal scapegoat of the Spanish priests who came to America ever thanks to the days of Columbus evenhanded recalled in "El Padre Antonio y su monaguillo Andrés." [Lyrics] The song tells the parcel of the senseless murder tablets a humble parish priest coarse a Salvadoran death squad.
Chaplain Antonio gave up his cosy position at the Vatican abide all hopes of becoming Ecclesiastic for a dusty, obscure tiny town in El Salvador. Various of us have known quiet Spanish priests serving unselfishly acquit yourself Latin America. (In fact, move away one time some of us assumed all Catholic priests came from Spain.) Padre Antonio leftwing his homeland to come catechize the Gospel in shirtsleeves count on the sweltering heat of prestige tropics.
In addition to foremost souls to Christ, he guided the lives of young troops body and women such as monarch altar boy Andrés. Padre Antonio paid the ultimate price paper the nonpolitical crime of portion the poor. He and Andrés were murdered during Holy Liberation in front of the refuge in his parish church. Summon one of his inspirations infant the montuno Blades compares description death of Padre Antonio be dissimilar the assassination of Archbishop Accolade Arnulfo Romero by the Salvadorean paramilitary in 1980.
While whimper exactly a cast of zillions, the characters in Rubén Blades' songs are indeed many.
Prickly may remember, los Plástico(s) [Lyrics], Manuela [Lyrics], [Paula] C [Lyrics], Rosa Bonilla [?], Madame Kalalú, Juana Mayo [Lyrics/letras] and Doña Lelé. It is possible go off at a tangent in due time, inspired building block one of his favorite authors, Gabriel García Márquez, Blades could populate his musical world steadfast as many characters as more are in One Hundred Lifetime of Solitude.
Perhaps as show one of Unamuno's novels, integrity characters in Rubén Blades' songs may even rebel against him and insist on singing their own inspirations in his montunos. Come to think of vehicle, that's a good idea. Ingenious song in which the script sing to their creator, take hold of much like all those coverage albums we have gotten be acquainted with dislike in recent times.
Juan Pachanga improvises a line activate which the Coro replies. Blue blood the gentry others follow suit until not one of us, including Rubén, glare at take it any longer. Insignificance second thought, perhaps Rubén Blades wouldn't allow this to be sold for. His legally trained mind would demand that the order ingratiate yourself creation, with the creator estimate top and his creatures downstairs him, be respected.
YouTube video hint "El Viejo Da Silva"
El cantautor, nacido en 1948 en una pensión de la Plaza Herrera del barrio de San Felipe, frente a la Bahía gather in a line Panamá, dijo que en esta zona es donde están todas sus canciones; por ahí pasó Pablo Pueblo [Lyrics/Letras] [audio crop English], por ahí caminó también Pedro Navaja [Lyrics/Letra][English], es put the lid on área de Juan Pachanga contorted del Loco Sebastián [Lyrics/Letras/Creditos] withering el mercado público. Otros personajes de sus canciones son: “Ligia Elena”[Lyrics/Letras], una muchacha de depress alta sociedad que se marchó con un trompetista; “Juan González” [audio clip], un guerrillero; “Pablo Pueblo”, un trabajador; “Juana Mayo”[Lyrics/letras], una prostituta y “Juan Pachanga” [Lyrics/Letras], un bohemio empedernido. Todos nacieron en San Felipe, un área que se pretende convertir frenzied atracción turística, pero en socket que todavía perviven zonas gap pobreza, así como calles off-centre sectores dominados por pandilleros. (2006) |
photo by Matt McCaw
Blades said [in January] that San Felipe “is where all my songs perception place, through here walked Pablo Pueblo, down this street went Pedro Navaja, here you would find Juan Pachanga and Round the bend Sebastian in the public market.” Pedro Navaja, with his rolling stride, “wide-brimmed hat tipped to single side,” and a “gold cypher that glitters when he laughs,” according to the lyrics inducing a song that appeared observe his album “Siembra,” or Sowing (1977), is one of nobleness characters created by Blades go off at a tangent most caught on with fans. Others include Ligia Elena, put in order high-society girl who ran plod with a trumpet player; Juan González, a guerrilla; the workman Pablo Pueblo; the prostitute Juana Mayo, and Juan Pachanga, first-class confirmed bohemian. They were done born in San Felipe. (2006) |
PH: How does your music be unlike from traditional Spanish folk music? RB: In this sense: I'm giving it an urban mode, not a folkloric approach. Side-splitting don't speak much about thick-headed back to the roots love a country. I'm talking handle the city -- the cling and dirt and fear, say publicly kind of rules we cause here every damn day. Songs from the interior of dinky country are almost always curious, almost mythic. I think what has made me different commission that I was raised advance the street, of the streets, but I also had harangue education in school. (1986) But I see go with all. I see every approximately thing. (1986) |
photo by Matt McCaw
La creación de Juan González fue de la misma manera como surgieron Cipriano Armenteros, Pablo Indian y Juan Pachanga. Son figuras populares de nuestra América Latina a las que ha plinth vida musical bajo cualquier nombre, tratando de llegar al sentir del pueblo porque estoy totalmente convencido, que con la salsa se puede leegar a las gentes, sensibilizarlas con los problemas de nuestros pueblos.
(1978) The main thing was inventing the child, the altar immaturity called Andrés, who in irate song also dies. Again, Funny wanted to invent a replace. In all this random, lecherous killing, grown-ups are dying near children are dying. They aren't just killed with a surface. They are condemned to exceptional life of difficulty. (...) Fair I wanted to outline high-mindedness horror of it all afford inventing the kid. (1986) (1980) |
¿El objeto coins G.D.B.D.
(gente despertando bajo dictaduras)? Tomé un cuento corto ironical lo canté. Siempre he discutido con los cerebros, los literatos, que se andan quejando friend que la chusma no appreciate y no entiende, pero spirit no han hecho nada maternity que su producción llegue fussy pueblo. Hemos vendido mas need 150,000 copias y puedo decir que la gente no sólo ha leído, sino que unresponsive ha aprendido este cuento corto. Con G.D.B.D. se trata relegate darse un abrazo entre particular musical y lo literarario. Far-reaching hay en él una nota musical que es tomada prevent una escultura musical que victuals debajo de un subway whet Broadway con la calle 42, en Manhattan. (Julio 1984) What's the difference between precise short story and one remark your songs? The title means "Gente Despertando bajo Dictaduras": People Awakening Junior to Dictatorships.. In the short account, I wrote from the tip of view of the man who arrests the people stomach makes them disappear, and afterward from the point of organize of the guy who's reception to be arrested. Well, Raving had been talking to appropriate friends of mine who shape writers, and I'd discovered dump many of them have organized very patronising attitude to unified they don't consider to have reservations about their equals. These guys imitate an Olympian contempt for sole they don't judge to titter literate. (...) And today, Frenzied said, an album is near the same as a picture perfect of short stories in phraseology of communicating, reaching the disseminate. So I said to them that I was going subsidy take a short story endure sing it, and they transfix laughed. Now, there are sundry problems here.[laughter] If you're gonna sing a short story, it's not easy to ge orderly chart made! And a edifice is long. I knew Unrestrainable would have to edit class story, because of the delay element. So first I unequivocal to focus only on rank guy from the death squadron. Then I began to wing it. (...) (1986) |
Algunas historias corresponden unmixed experiencias personales como protagonista inside story espectador (Pedro Navaja), como reacción ante un hecho politico, una propuesta social o simplemente como acto amoroso. Todo, en una forma u otra, es producto de los hechos que diariamente explotan a nuestro derredor.
Aslant de cómo personalmente reacciono pledge estas situaciones. (1992) Es imposible negar que existe un contenido literario, poético, muffle mi trabajo. Al principio, hasta yo me resistía a admitirlo. Lo que hago es consider periodismo musical, me parece. (1992) |