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The origins of a vocation
Born in 1917 in San Carlos, in the Ñuble region of southern Chile, Violeta Parra is today recognized as one of the most important figures of twentieth-century Chilean and Latin American culture. Highly versatile, this singer, composer, instrumentalist, poet, and visual artist developed a body of work fundamentally rooted in Chilean peasant traditions, all the while endowing them with a new political and social dimension.
Parra, Isabel, El libro mayor de Violeta Parra. Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, 2020. Personal collection of Eileen Hofer
Several of her songs, like “Gracias a la vida”, have been covered by artists such as Joan Baez and Mercedes Sosa and have gained international renown. Nevertheless, Violeta Parra’s importance cannot simply be reduced to this. Her work has had a profound influence on Chilean music, notably by laying the foundations for what would become, after her death, the Nueva Canción Chilena (literally “New Chilean Song”). This movement, embodied by artists like Víctor Jara and Ángel Parra (Violeta’s son), perpetuates two fundamental dimensions of her legacy: the showcasing of traditional peasant music long marginalized by the elites, and the affirmation of its political impact in the struggle for social justice.
“Arráncame el corazón” (cueca) [excerpt], by Violeta Parra (voice, guitar). Switzerland, Geneva. Recording made on 6 June 1963 at the MEG by an unknown person. Bd553-1
Moreover, Violeta Parra was committed to offering a platform to the singers who carried on the tradition of Chilean music, and she did this with a deep respect and admiration. For her, this was a veritable “mission”, and one that may be said to underlie her entire body of work. In letters, she emphasizes the need to preserve folk music and to “defend her people” (Parra, I., 1985: 112). Far from being the fruit of a belated project, this awareness was forged early on, in a society where music was inseparable from everyday life.
Born into a poor family, Violeta Parra grew up surrounded by folk musical practices, passed down orally at parties and gatherings. Her father, whom she describes as a “folklorist” (Parra, I., 1985: 26), played guitar, and although he initially didn’t want to teach his children music, Violeta observed and imitated him, cultivating a strong connection to singing and music from a young age. Later, in Santiago, she would continue on this path, singing Mexican music in restaurants forming a duo with her sister Hilda, performing under the name Las Hermanas Parra. She also performed in bars, and notably in peñas, traditional gathering places for folk musicians, characteristic of the southern cone of Latin America.
This was just the beginning, however. Once in Santiago, motivated by her brother, poet Nicanor Parra, Violeta would go on several journeys around the country where she collected and safeguarded part of the great diversity of Chilean folk music, an approach that constitutes one of the pillars of her artistic and cultural legacy.
