Ángel Custodio Loyola

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Ángel Custodio Loyola

Background information
Also known as El renco Loyola
El tigre de Masaguarito
Born September 4, 1926(1926-09-04)
Flag of Venezuela Mata Arzolera, Guárico, Venezuela
Died September 24, 1985 (aged 59)
Cagua, Aragua, Venezuela
Genre(s) Joropo
Occupation(s) musician, singer, composer
Label(s) Discomoda
Cahilapo
Associated acts Juan Vicente Torrealba
Ignacio Figueredo
Ángel Custodio Loyola y sus Guariqueños

Ángel Custodio Loyola (September 4, 1926 – September 24, 1985), was a Venezuelan singer and composer, better known for being pioneering at the diffusion of joropo and the popular music of the Venezuelan plains, also for being defender of the country’s folklore, and his work for the masification of Venezuelan music, popularizing and being author of songs like: El Gavilán, Tierra Negra, Carnaval, Sentimiento Llanero, Catira Marmoleña, Faenas Llaneras, Puerto Miranda, among others.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

[edit] First years

First 78 rpm record of Loyola and Los Torrealberos
First 78 rpm record of Loyola and Los Torrealberos

Been born at the Mata Arzolera, a small village of El Socorro, Guárico, Venezuela, from very young starts at the farm work, circumstance by which only study until the fourth grade of primary school at Calabozo, in 1940 starts to heard the music of the Venezuelan plains, being fan of singers like Eliseo Flores, Juan de la Cruz Perez, Ricardo Acevedo, Ramón Delgado and Ángel Acevedo. From that, his primordial interest was being interpreter and singer, leaving his home without the consent of his father, to go to Calabozo, where he would initiate his career as folk singer. After informal and occasional presentations, at the age of 18 sings for the first time like guest, at the Oliveros ranch. Some years before this, several singers and harpists seen Loyola in a presentation at El Berraco, in Barinas. Were his discoverers, Germán Fleitas Beroes, Pedro Azopardo, Rafael Hurtado Rondón and Mariano Hurtado Rondón, who heard him singing in Camaguán. Loyola starts to learn to execute the harp and cultvate his voice, turning with the years one of the best Venezuelan joropo singers.

[edit] Professional career

Ángel Custodio Loyola, gets certain relevance by own merits and the help of recognized musicians, receiving his first music lesson from harpist Pérez Acosta, singing next to Jesús Hernandez, Santana Beno, Amalio Farfán, José Romero, Anastasio Aponte, Francisco Teusent and Supertino González. In 1947 begins to have fame, having the nickname of El Renco Loyola. At this time Antonio José Abraham recommends Loyola to Juan Vicente Torrealba, who takes him to Caracas, recording along with Los Torrealberos, some folk songs like, El Carnaval and Los Corazones, after differences, Loyola decides to retire of the group of Torrealba, from this Loyola starts to sing along with El Indio Figueredo, with whom he recorded about forty albums, experience that allowed him to found in 1954 his own group, Ángel Custodio Loyola y sus Guariqueños, recording for the seal Discomoda, receiving a great amount of money by each 78 rpm record.

In the 1950s, according to the afirmation of Loyola, the different modalities of the Venezuelan joropo were not present at the folklorical repertoire of the country, attributing this to the preference of the llanero by the contrapunteo modality. In addition to the popularity at the radio of the mambo.

Sentimiento Llanero cover
Sentimiento Llanero cover

Defender of maintain without modifications the essence of the llanero music, was opponent of Armando Lovera criticizing him, for the use the drums instead of maracas, of Juan Vicente Torrealba, for the introduction and use of the Bass guitar, as well of Rafael Martínez Arteaga and Santiago Rojas for their humorous songs. In contrast to this, El Indio Figueredo, Eneas Perdomo, Nelson Morales, El Carrao de Palmarito, Eudes Alvarez, Joseíto Romero and Cándido Herrera always enjoyed his greater estimation.

His linking to the radio, the advantages for an artist this mass media and his preoccupation for the diffusion of authentic llanero music, induces him to buy in 1976, the station Radio Central de Maracay where he lead the program Venezuela canta en Aragua. Also in that year, participates at the Florentino de Oro Festival, where he receives the first prize along with Mayra Martí.

[edit] Consolidation as singer and death

Buenos Aires Llaneros cover
Buenos Aires Llaneros cover

For 1969, his songs, El Gavilán, Pajarillo Número 1, Pajarillo Número 2, Puerto Miranda (Along with El Carrao de Palmarito), were very popular. The particularitities of his compositions to catiras (Blond women), got to give name to one of the modalities of the joropo llanero, also happened with the songs Carnaval Número 1, Carnaval Número 2 and Carnaval Número 3.

On September, 1976, was part of the artists that appear at the Pro-Victim Festival of Apure, also in that month appears at the Caracas Polyhedron, and between January-February, 1977, was part of the jury at El Silbón, II Llanero Music Festival in the Chucho Rivas Stadium of Guanare, receiving a tribute to his career. On May, 1977, Vicente Medina, wrotes at El Nacional, an article cataloguing Loyola and El Indio Figueredo, as exceptions of good voices of the popular music, in that year is published the album Adilia Castillo, Ángel C. Loyola. Los Grandes del Contrapunteo.

On September 24, 1985, Ángel Custodio Loyola dies in Cagua, Aragua state, at the age of 59, without the deserved tributes and recognitions for his career, and contribution to the Venezuelan folklore.

[edit] Legacy

Ángel Custodio Loyola was the first llanero singer that imposed his style at the mass media, along with his liquiliqui (Venezuelan typical male clothing), and his custom to sing with a handkerchief at the right hand. The year of his death, Raul Vallejo publishes an important article at El Nacional, where he presents Loyola, like symbol of the llanero, with a spontaneous and wild attitude, that sang with love the music of his country, always protecting the national artist and folklore. In 1985 the singer Nicolas Carrera, includes at his album Un Coplero recio, the song Homenaje a Loyola (Tribute to Loyola), in 1987 is published the copilation album Ángel C. Loyola-El Carrao-Eneas Perdomo, and in the 2000s is released the album Clásicos llaneros de Ángel Custodio Loyola.

The bus terminal of Calabozo, was named after him.

[edit] Partial discography

El Guariqueño si sabe cover
El Guariqueño si sabe cover
  • Pasaje contramarcado (Discomoda DCM-119)
  • Buenos Aires llaneros (Discomoda DCM-195)
  • Sentimiento llanero (Discomoda DCM-246)
  • Corrío Apureño (Discomoda DCM-256)
  • El guachamarón (Discomoda DCM-287)
  • Travesias de Mata Larga (Discomoda DCM-298)
  • El tigre de Masaguarito (Discomoda DCM-414)
  • Señores, Aquí está un llanero (Discomoda DCM-462)
  • Ay! Catira Marmoleña (Discomoda DCM-623)
  • Sentir Venezolano (Philips 40.097)
  • El Indio Modesto Laya (Palacio LPS-66.386)
  • El Guariqueño si sabe (Cachilapo LPC-017)

[edit] Copilations

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Casanares, Juan - Ángel Custodio Loyola : Todo el llano en la voz (El Nacional, Caracas, September 7, 1980)
  • Hernández Camacho, Pedro - Al rescate de la música criolla (Elite Magazine, Caracas, June 19, 1969)
  • Medina, Vicente - Cosas de cantadores (El Nacional, Caracas, May 28, 1977)
  • Vallejo, Raúl - Se despidió El Pajarillo. Custodio permanente de nuestra música (El Nacional, September 25, 1985)
  • Enciclopedia de la Música en Venezuela, (ed. Fundación Bigott (ISBN 9806428021) Caracas, Venezuela, 1998)

[edit] Source

  • Based on the exhaustive investigation of Guillermo Ramos Flamerich about the life of Ángel Custodio Loyola