Violeta Parra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Violeta Parra | |
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 Violeta Parra in the 1960s
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval |
| Born | October 14, 1917 |
| Origin | San Carlos, 
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| Died | February 5, 1967 (aged 49) |
| Genre(s) | Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Andean music, Latin music, Chilean music |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, Songwriter, Plastic Arts |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Charango, Cuatro, Percussion |
| Years active | 1949-1965 |
| Label(s) | EMI-Odeon Alerce Warner Music |
| Associated acts | Víctor Jara, Quilapayún, Inti-illimani, Patricio Manns, Illapu, Ángel Parra, Isabel Parra, Roberto Parra, Sergio Ortega, Margot Loyola, Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra, Soledad Bravo, Daniel Viglietti, Mercedes Sosa, Joan Baez, Holly Near, Elis Regina, Dean Reed, Silvio Rodriguez |
| Website | Official Website |
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (October 14, 1917 – February 5, 1967) was a notable Chilean folklorist and visual artist. She set the basis for "New Song," La Nueva Canción chilena, a renewal and a reinvention of Chilean folk music which would absorb and extend its influence far beyond Chile.
Parra was born in San Carlos, province of Ñuble, a small town in southern Chile. She was involved in the progressive movement and the Socialist Party of Chile. She revived the Peña, (now known as La Peña de Los Parra). A Peña is a community center for the arts and for political activism. Some think she established the first 'peña' but according to the records of the Royal Academy of Spanish Language, places such as these had been called that since 1936 (RAE). During the government of martyred President Salvador Allende there were Peñas mushrooming all over Chile. These were subsequently banned by the military regime that toppled the Allende government, making exiles and political prisoners out of whole sectors of the Chilean artistic and intellectual community. Nevertheless, there are still many Peñas operating throughout Chile, Latin America, North America, Europe, and Australia. They continue to serve the expat communities that fled Chile after the coup on September 11, 1973 that overthrew President Salvador Allende.
Violeta Parra was a member of the prolific Parra family. Her brother is the notable modern poet, better known as the "anti-poet", Nicanor Parra. Her son, Ángel Parra, and her daughter, Isabel Parra, were also important figures in the development of Nueva Canción Chilena. Their children have also mostly maintained the family's artistic traditions.
Violeta Parra committed suicide with a gunshot to her head in 1967 due to her depression over the breakup of her relationship.
Her most renowned song, Gracias a la Vida (Thanks to Life), was popularized throughout Latin America by Mercedes Sosa and later in the US by Joan Baez. It remains one of the most covered Latin American songs in history.
