It's February! And this month's theme is love! Is the perfect time to learn about one of the best romancers of the romance languages, Alvaro Carrillo Alarcón. French may be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of romance languages but Latin American Spanish-speakers give it a run for its money by writing the most passionate songs I’ve ever heard- and none other like Alvaro Carrillo Alarcón. Álvaro Carrillo Alarcón was a afro-mexican composer who technically made half of the Chilena genre popularity by himself and revolutionized the bolero in México. Excuse the hyperbole. He was born on December 2, 1919 in the town of Cacahuatepec, Oaxaca to José María Carrillo Jiménez & Candelaria Morales de Carrillo. He had 3 siblings. After his biological mother died when he was very young, José Carrillo married Todora Alarcón, from whom Álvaro takes his second surname in gratitude for the affection with which she took care of him and his siblings after his parents died. From an early age he showed his talent for composition by creating regional songs such as the Chilean. A musical genre from the Costa Chica in Oaxaca, his homeland, created by the cultural fusion between the indigenous Amuzgo/Amocho and the afro-mexican people. It is characterized by linking cheerful and picaresque verses with the romantic and brave feeling of the costeños. In the academic field, he obtained the title of Agricultural Engineer from the then National School of Agriculture (ENA) of Chapingo, to which he dedicated Goodbye to Chapingo, and a time in which he ventured into the Modern Romantic Bolero that inspired him to create songs that have kept it current in popular taste through the years. Alvaro Carrillo Jr. shares how his father’s heritage impacted his music: “He was surrounded by this musical culture; the sweetness of European music, the spirituality of indigenous music, and all the blues, nostalgia and pain of Black music. A community that was enslaved and that wasn’t recognized here [México], their language may have not survived but he was surrounded by those three cultural roots, that’s why his music is so endearing, in his songs there is that union.” He was a musician first and foremost but also an incredible lyricist, therefore he deserves a spot in this writing blog. If Bob Dylan can win a Nobel prize for literature then I can talk about Alvaro Carrillo Alarcón as a poet. My favorite song of his is a bolero named Sabor a mí/A taste of me. Legend says that in December of 1957, Alvaro Carrillo found himself with his (at the time) fiancée, Ana María Incháustegui at a romantic candlelight dinner drinking far too much coñac. In between kisses Incháustegui said that he had to stop drinking or she would be left with the taste of alcohol in her lips, to which he replied: “What you would be left with is the savour of me.” In that instant they both looked at each other, Ana María Incháustegui being a poet herself and Carrillo Alarcón a popular composer at the time, both knew that this phrase would be the birth of a new song. What they didn’t know is that it would become the song people will remember them by. The song is conversational in nature; the singer is talking to their lover about the infinity of their love but, at the same time, without the music it almost feels like something someone would say for their wedding vows or a proposal. We had spent so much time savoring our love, Our souls came so close together and yet stayed free, That I keep with me your savour, but you carry as well, A taste of me. [...] I am not pretending to own you, I am nothing, I have no vanity, Giving what good in life I have, I’m so poor, what else do I have to give? A thousand years will pass, and even more, I don’t know if love is everlasting, Whether there or here where you may be Your lips will always savor A taste of me. (Translation by me & Manuel García Jr.) Sabor a mí/A taste of Me has been recently translated to the mother language of La Costa Chica, amuzgo, by The García Sisters with the help of their father who is a native speaker. This is by far my favorite version of the song. Carrillo Jr. comments about his father’s style of bolero that: “It is more refined in the harmony aspect, closer to jazz. Less song-singy, but better written. This is how he created his own formulas of musical writing. I say that his secret -and I’ve been analyzing his songs since very little- comes from literature. The great poetry hooks you in its first lines and that makes his music, with the help of the best metaphors. After that, you arrived at the climax- the equivalent of the chorus in a song- and that’s the moment your heart starts singing. Finally, the literary conclusion, that is the comeback. My dad was very good at that; he left you wanting to hear the song again”. Other romantic songs composed by Carrillo Alarcón are: Amor Mío/My love, El Moreno de la Costa/The Black Man of the Coast, Pinotepa/Pinotepa, Allá tú/That 's up to you, Matemáticamente/Mathematically etc. El Maestro or The Master as he was known, was made a legend without a face by all the singers that sang his songs while forgetting his name. From, Lila Downs, YOSHIO, Los Tres Panchos, Kali Uchis, Luis Miguel, José José, EXO, Eydie Gorme, Gloria Stefan even Frank Sinatra. One time, Japanese singer Yoshiro Hiroishi, came to México City and to show his admiration and respect to the great composer went to the venue Mr. Carrillo Alarcón played, and in traditional Japanese regalia sang Sabor A Mí/A Taste of Me to him. Another sign of admiration and affection to the composer; the Chapingo Autonomous University annually holds the Álvaro Carrillo Fan Song Festival in the auditorium that bears his name, which invites students from the institution to participate in the categories of Poetry Composition and Interpretation. I hope that if you feel comfortable singing in Spanish or stumble across a translated version of his songs that you serenade that special someone with his songs. Or, cry alongside him, he wrote far too many songs about heartbreak as well. Ari Ochoa Petzois a Mexican-Venezuelan bi genderfluid writer. They like dancing to old music and history. In their free time you can find xem trying to coerce their friends to participate in another of their crazy projects.
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