This is an educational blog, whose purpose is to reveal Ecuadorian culture through its music, authors and composers, as well as the beauty of its landscapes and the creativity of its people. It is dedicated to Ecuadorian migrants and to the new generations who may find in its message the roots of their ancestors and the stories of their past. Regards.
El albazo “Avecilla” es uno de los temas más populares del cancionero ecuatoriano, con decenas de versiones e intérpretes desde su grabación original realizada por el Dúo de los Hermanos Villamar en el año 1965.
Sin embargo, pocos saben que la primera versión de esta composición en ritmo de bambuco, letra y música del poeta Pablo Joaquín Valderrama, fue realizada en el año de 1920 por el dueto de Justiniano Rosales y Jorge Añez para el sello de Discos Víctor, de fabricación colombiana.
Posteriormente, una adaptación a esta composición de Valderrama fue grabada en 1930 por el Dúo Ecuador conformado por Nicasio Safadi y Enrique Ibáñez para la Casa Columbia, en cuya descripción aparece como “arreglos de Safadi” y sin ninguna alusión a su autor. Esta versión ecuatoriana es de una cadencia más lenta que la anterior en ritmo de bambuco, y se la define como “canción”.
(Aunque este video contiene la imagen del Dúo Benítez y Valencia, es una de las pocas grabaciones del Dúo Ecuador que están disponibles por internet)
Este es el texto original del poema de Valderrama:
Canora Avecilla
Bambuco
Música y letra de Pablo Joaquín Valderrama
Ya ves canora avecilla, que cogida prisionera,
siendo, como soy, tu dueño, será preciso que sepas
que de ahora en adelante vas a ser mi compañera.
Yo cuidaré de que nunca te falte lo que apetezcas,
tendrás el agua más limpia y las semillas más frescas,
en cambio solo te exijo que estés, como antes, contenta,
pues es tiempo de que entones tu cántico prisionera.
No te dejes avecilla agobiar por la tristeza,
pósate sobre mi pecho y sobre él tus alas pliega,
cantando, como cantabas, oculta entre la maleza,
a orillas del arroyuelo o en lo hondo de la arboleda.
Quizás a tu amado lleguen tus melodiosas endechas
en que tus amores digas, en que le cuentes tus penas,
en que tu quebranto llores, en que modules tus quejas,
y di por qué no me atiendes y tan huraña te muestras.
No me escuches avecilla, no me cantes prisionera.
Alfredo y Víctor Hugo Villamar
Sin embargo, en la década de los 60s, apareció con gran éxito una nueva versión de “Avecilla” en ritmo de albazo interpretada por los Hermanos Villamar. Este tema está incluido en el LP 330-0048 producido por el sello ONIX, de la Industria Fonográfica Ecuatoriana S A. IFESA como tema principal del disco con el mismo nombre. En la descripción de esta melodía aparece como un Albazo “tradicional” y no detalla a sus autores.
Este es el texto de la adaptación de los Hermanos Villamar:
Avecilla
Albazo
Adaptación de los Hnos. Villamar al poema de Pablo Joaquín Valderrama
Ya ves,
Ya ves canora avecilla
Que cogida prisionera
Será preciso que sepas,
Que desde hoy en adelante
Vas a hacer mi compañera.
Cantando como cantabas,
Perdida entre la maleza,
A orillas de un arroyuelo
Y en el fondo de una arboleda.
No te dejes avecilla
Agobiar por la tristeza.
Pósate sobre mi pecho
O sobre tus alas buenas.
Yo cuidare de que nunca
Te falte lo que apetezcas,
Tendrás el agua más pura
Y la semilla más fresca.
En una entrevista realizada hace algún tiempo, Víctor Hugo, primera voz del Dúo de los Hermanos Villamar, hace referencia a la falta de reconocimiento a los verdaderos artífices de esta adaptación. Relata este gran autor e intérprete, que fueron ellos, los Hermanos Villamar, quienes crearon la versión de albazo de Avecilla, tomando como base el poema de Pablo Joaquín Valderrama y fue Segundo Bautista, quien realizó los arreglos musicales.
A partir de esta versión original han aparecido centenares de producciones con diferentes intérpretes y es este albazo uno de los más conocidos del pentagrama nacional.
Lo más curioso es que, en la presentación de este tema, se muestra como autor a Nicasio Safadi, aunque este querido integrante del Dúo Ecuador no tiene ninguna relación con las nuevas versiones del albazo en referencia.
Podría decirse que, como una práctica común de la industria fonográfica de nuestro país, se ha evitado incluir en la descripción de los discos impresos, las referencias a los autores, compositores, fechas de elaboración u otros detalles relacionados. Esto ha impedido que los auténticos creadores de nuestra música sean reconocidos y valorados en su verdadera dimensión.
Y en el caso de “Avecilla”, en su versión de albazo, les han sido negados su autoría y su paternidad a quienes hicieron la adaptación más conocida y famosa. Quizá, en algún momento en el futuro, se permita el reconocimiento a esta “hija negada” del talento de los Hermanos Villamar.
Mientras tanto, nosotros celebramos esta preciosa entrega de “Avecilla” como un aporte de los Hermanos Villamar a la posteridad y como una joya que enaltece nuestro legado de la música tradicional ecuatoriana.
Investigación y texto de Manuel E Ortega.
Fuentes: YOUTUBE, Canal de Guillermo Restrepo, Dúo Ecuador, Jorge Patricio Fajardo, Normita Navarro Oficial, Imágenes tomadas de Google e Instagram.
Les invitamos a mirar nuestros videos en los siguientes canales:
It could be said that Carlota Jaramillo's pasillos and yaravíes move us with their poetry and emotional intensity, and that her way of interpreting reminds us of Andean sunsets full of nostalgia. However, no one would have thought that such an esteemed artist would have caused so much scandal and become the centre of popular murmuring.
Certainly, this great woman dared to defy the system and the rigid norms of the society of her time. Like other heroines of our country, she paved the way for the women of her time to gain the right to live according to their own values.
Put in context, Carlota Jaramillo was born in Calacalí, a small town near Quito on July 9, 1904, in the midst of a society that had been carrying centuries of conservative domination under the iron power of the Catholic Church. But the Liberal Revolution led by Eloy Alfaro in 1895 brought immense changes. The new regime established freedom of worship and equality of citizens before the law. It also promoted the rights of women to education and public life. To achieve this, it established secular education by creating schools and colleges throughout the country. Thus, in 1901 the Juan Montalvo and Manuel Cañizares Teacher Training Colleges were founded to prepare teachers for the new generations.
In order to continue her education, Carlota settled in Quito and enrolled in the Normal Manuela Cañizares. And while she was studying, there were many opportunities where she demonstrated her talent and her love for singing. In 1922 she won an amateur contest and later got private lessons from maestro Sixto María Duran, which helped her to develop her artistic and vocal abilities.
Undoubtedly, the new airs of emancipation and the exercise of citizen rights brought by the new liberal era motivated in this extroverted young woman the decision to become an artist and achieve her most cherished dreams.
At the graduation event, Maestro Rafael Ramos Albuja, musician and orchestra director of the "Compañía de Comedias y Variedades", (Comedy and variety company) was amazed with the musical interpretation of the beautiful and young Carlota and proposed her to join his theatrical group. She accepted the proposal, but she did not count on the opposition of her parents, who were against the idea of a "decent girl" appearing before the public and performing in comedies. Even so, against all odds, Carlota became the first actress of the Ramos Albuja Company.
In 1926, the "Compañía de Comedias y Variedades" was formed with Jorge Araujo and the Jaramillo sisters Carlota and Inés, as main figures. In their performances, they interpreted themes of the national pentagram, causing the criticism of the "well-to-do families" of Quito, since the other companies represented European plays and sang international songs. However, little by little she won the approval of the public and Carlota was awarded in 1927 as the best singer. In this way our "Queen of the song" began the trend towards the recognition of the musical expressions of the native feeling.
Jorge Araujo and Carlota Jaramillo
But there was a fact that filled the puritan society of Quito and it was her romance with Jorge Araujo Chiriboga. This green-eyed gallant, who was nicknamed "el gato" (the cat), was an actor who had played in several theatre companies and was a favourite among the public. That was the time of greatest boom when Quito's society frequented the city's stages and several theatre companies were formed.
Carlota had met Jorge in 1923, at a student event where she assured her friends that he would be her husband. As expected, life brought the two actors together sentimentally and led them to a love affair that was disapproved by the family and everyone close to them. By 1928, Jorge was a 36-year-old man, had a home with two children, and she was a barely 22 years old young girl. In the end, the loving couple eloped to Guayaquil and got married. This was another example of Carlota's determination and courage to follow her heart in spite of her parents' opposition and society's censure.
The age difference made Jorge compose the pasillo "Sendas distintas" (Different paths) which he dedicated to his wife and where the love story of these two beings who were born for each other is captured and deserves to be told in another article.
Jorge Araujo also came from a family with progressive alignment. His father, Colonel Angel Araujo Ordoñez, was a loyal supporter of Eloy Alfaro and Jorge served in the army of the liberal government. Like his brother Angel, some of his poems scandalized the church, however, his verses and songs reflected his love for the land and the tenderness of the native soul.
Although in 1930, Nicasio Safadi and Enrique Ibañez made several phonographic productions in New York, Ecuadorian music recorded abroad with foreign performers and orchestras was heard in the country. Carlota Jaramillo and her husband were the pioneers in recording records in the country and they did it at "Radio El Prado" in Riobamba. Carlota said that the recordings were made at dawn and directly on the disc, which was complicated if there was any mistake. Her first record was "Amor grande y lejano" (Great and distant love) by her brother-in-law Angel Araujo, which she recorded in 1938.
https://youtu.be/Worp8D8M3aI
Our "Queen of Song" also dared to challenge international corporations by initiating the recognition of the rights of national authors. It happened that, in 1920, Jorge Araujo had written the albazo "De terciopelo negro" (Of black velvet) or also known as "Si tu me olvidas" (If you forget me) which had been reproduced in Europe since the 1940s as a traditional song with no known author and in 1971 was included in the French film "Mourir d'aimer" (Die of love). Faced with this arbitrariness, Carlota and her family fought for many years until the European courts recognized its true author and his rights, a triumph for the musical creators of our country!
Carlota Jaramillo, "la alondra quiteña" (the lark from Quito) was a model of professionalism and artistic honesty and has bequeathed us her spirit of integrity and courage to follow the authentic calls of the heart even in the face of the disapproval of others.
When we talk about Carlota Jaramillo, we are reminded of this great actress and singer who has left deep marks in traditional Ecuadorian music due to her unparalleled voice and her emotional interpretation that are a legacy for posterity.
Although audio recordings of her were made during the decades between the 1930s and 1970s, she is still heard at family gatherings and she is a favourite among icons of past generations. Her life has been an example of will and determination to overcome the vicissitudes of life and the limitations imposed by the society of her time.
María Isabel Carlota Jaramillo Jaramillo, was born on July 9, 1904 in Calacalí, a parish located in the northwest of the Province of Pichincha. Her childhood took place in her native place with her family, which was engaged in agricultural production. She inherited her love for singing and artistic expressions from her maternal grandfather and her uncle Timoleon.
She studied at the Normal Manuela Cañizares in Quito where she graduated as a teacher. During this time in secondary school, she was able to receive private singing lessons from the lawyer and composer, Maestro Sixto María Duran, who had a decisive influence on the development of her vocal and interpretative qualities.
In 1922 she participated with her sister Inés in a Contest for amateurs at the Eden Theater and won the First Prize, which consisted of a guitar and a guindola. At an event of her graduation, she met the maestro Rafael Ramos Albuja, who invited her to be part of the "Operettas and Zarzuelas Company", of which, over time, she became the main actress, despite the opposition from their parents.
In 1926 she, along with "El gato" Jorge Araujo Chiriboga, a talented actor and musical composer, created the "Compañía de comedias y variedades" (Comedy and varieties Company) where they were the first actors and singers. But it was the romance between them that caused a great scandal in Quito's conservative society. Since Jorge Araujo was 12 years older than her and had another sentimental relationship. However, Carlota decided to marry him, ignoring all other people's opinions and eloping to Guayaquil where they got married in 1928.
Jorge Araujo made several compositions dedicated to our "Alondra de Quito" which were later recorded by her. Among all his creations, the song "Sendas distintas" (Different paths) stands out, where he poetically describes the age difference between him and his young wife.
Since 1938, the couple, together with other artists of their time, made a series of presentations on Radio "El Prado" in Riobamba and made recordings for the first time in our country.
This extraordinary interpreter of the national pentagram offered hundreds of presentations on the main radio stations and at different events inside and outside the country where she won the hearts of her audience and a special place in the history of national music. However, Carlota Jaramillo did not make a living from music and she combined her artistic career with teaching to be able to meet the needs of her home.
Our great Carlota has recorded in her entire career approximately 20 L.P. and her records have been reproduced in Latin America, the United States and France.
The "Reina del pasillo" died on December 10, 1987 at 83 years of age due to brain trauma caused by a fall.
Despite the fact that her musical production is not so extensive, her recordings have managed to establish themselves as the most classic way of interpreting the Ecuadorian pasillo. Her figure will always be present in our history and our culture, not only because of her artistic quality but also as an example of a woman who challenged the patriarchal power of society to live a life dedicated to love for her partner and for the art of music.
Compilation and text: Manuel E Ortega
Sources: Youtube, Wikipedia, Edupedia, Google, Ecuavisa, El Universo, Encyclopedia of Ecuador, Mandrágora Foundation, Genoveva Mora, El blog del pasillo.com.
Also, you are invited to watch a video dedicated to Carlota Jaramillo in our channels:
