Amparo Correa
Amparo Correa | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Amparo Correa Beltrán |
| Also known as | La novia del Fandango |
| Born | June 13, 1923 Huelva, Spain |
| Origin | Spanish |
| Died | September 22, 2007 (aged 84) Huelva, Spain |
| Genres | Andalusian folklore |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and guitarist |
| Instruments | Vocals, castanets |
María Amparo Correa Beltrán, better known as Amparo Correa (13 June 1923 – 22 September 2007)[1] was a Spanish flamenco singer and guitarist, two areas through which she achieved relevance and great popularity in Spain. She was born and died, in Huelva, Spain.
Throughout her career, she performed several musical genres such as sevillanas and fandangos, and directed and performed in many choirs in the Carnival of Cádiz.
Amparo Correa stands out for having directed choirs in the Carnival of Cadiz as well as for her commitment to the flamenco culture, creating the Amparo Correa Foundation, and being awarded with numerous prizes. In fact, her last years of life were run by her three great passions: love, the promotion of flamenco, and music.[2]
She died at the age of 84 due to her illness.
Biography[edit]
Amparo Correa, also known as “La Novia del fandango”, was the eldest of three daughters of the married couple formed by Manuel Correa Muñoz and María Amparo Beltrán Rein. Her father was related to the carnival arpeggios and the musical scales of the sevillanas, and her mother was a soloist in the choir named ‘Amigos de la música’ in Isla Cristina (Huelva). Not only her mother, but also the rest of the family, devoted their vocal and musical talent to the Carnival of this city. Amparo was only 12 years old when her musical career began.[2]
Early life[edit]
Amparo Correa began her studies in Cardenal Spínola School in Huelva, where she started to write music and lyrics dedicated to la Patrona every 8th of December. During her studying in this prestigious school, her creative spirit made her compose new pieces of music and lyrics, making her class win the Song contest every year. For her secondary education, she attended La Rábida Secondary Institute and after that, she finished the basic studies on musical theory and classical guitar in Huelva’s Music Conservatory. After all, her life was dedicated to music. She also studied an annual course of flamenco guitar in the Cristina Heeren Foundation in Seville.[3]
Amparo was the only child of her family that inherited the musical talent of her father and she dedicated herself to learning how to play the guitar. Afterwards, she started to write sevillanas and then she threw herself into fandangos, with which she made her first appearance in la Peña Flamenca of Huelva, participating from then on with the children of the Marist Brothers.
The 1990s[edit]
The 1990s were crucial for Amparo as they defined her later artistic career.
These years were marked especially by Carnival. In 1995, Amparo got her first job in this world when she was appointed director of the group “Por un camino de estrellas” of the group La Noria. The success of this group made her repeat as director the next year, in 1996, but this time in command of the musical direction of the only carnival choir that there was after the resumption of the Carnival celebration from 1983. Therefore, on January 27, 1996, the debut of the choir “Entre dos aguas” took place.[2]
In the 1998 carnivals, Amparo Correa had the authorship of the feminine comparsa of the group Peña “El choco contaminao”, repeating in 1999 with the same group with the authorship of the comparsas “Pericón” and “De Kabul a Bagdad”.
1999 was an important year in the life of Amparo, because she started to follow the path of musical art. On 2nd of June of that year, Canal Sur Television paid tribute to Amparo in a programme to Amparo called “Senderos de Gloria” which was a testimony to her dedication to music.
The city of Huelva named her “Estrella de la Ilusión 2002”. Along with this, the Spanish Federation of People with Disabilities of the province of Huelva grants her the “Primitivo Lázaro” prize in 2005, because of her social commitment.[3]
The Municipal Corporation of the City of Huelva granted her the Medal of the City of Huelva on January 18, 2008, during the festivities in honour of San Sebastian in the Exhibition and Conferences of Casa Colón “Medal to the Huelva identity”. On February 22nd at the Iberoamerican Forum of La Rábida, Amparo Correa received the distinction of “Huelva-Junta” by the Regional Government of Andalusia in the institutional act of “Day of Andalusia.”
The first carnival piece of Amparo was in 1995. The troupe of “La peña La Noria” was incomplete, due to many of its members leaving to join the “Entretelas” group, leading to a carnival choir formed by members of various groups. Amparo became the director of this choir, conducting the members to sound like a proper and professional choir. This choir, “Entre dos aguas”, made its debut the 27th of January of 1996 in the Exhibitions and Conferences centre of Casa Colón in Huelva, during the coronation acts of Choquera Mayor, who was Amparo’s younger sister, during the Columbian Festivals. Amparo Correa was also the author of the women troupe “El choco contaminao” in 1998, “Pericón” y “De Kabul a Bagdad” in 1999. [2]
Last years of her career[edit]
The last years of life of Amparo Correa were significantly marked by three vital matters: love, music and promoting flamenco. Love, personified by her husband Pablo García Hermoso. She successfully promoted flamenco in numerous conferences and numerous places, such as the ones in Huelva’s secondary schools about singing and dancing (‘El Toque, el Cante y el Baile’) or the conference in the first Flamenco and Fandango Congress in Alosno on the 27 July 2006, about the role of women in flamenco. For years, she is pleased with calm, happiness and joy along with her husband Pablo, years in which Amparo becomes an active volcano of musical production.[3]
On 22nd of September 2007, Amparo Correa “La Novia del fandango” passed away, as a result of a brain tumor.[4]
Amparo Correa Foundation[edit]
The Amparo Correa Foundation, which began in January 2000, carried out an excellent work in the teaching of flamenco singing to children and in the development of their artistic creation. The role of the Foundation led the radio network Cadena SER to give her its prestigious award take out “La Uva Cultural” in Christmas of 2000. Moreover, she was given the “Buena Uva” award by this radio station, even though she had passed away. Amparo took care of the singing classes and, in some instances, Santi Robles helped her with the teaching of saeta singing. Guitar classes were also taught by Amparo. Today, about fifty students receive flamenco training in this Foundation.
In its first stage, the foundation ensured the regeneration of traditional dances. This desire could not be carried out due to a lack of help and cooperation from important institutions who did not collaborate with this matter. Merchi Cruz, an excellent teacher, was the one in charge of the folklore lessons. In addition, she played the representation of Huelva (fandangos) in the twinning between the Columbian Festivals and the Portuguese Algarve (fado and corridinho).[2]
Tributes[edit]
Amparo Correa was not a widely known artist around the world, but she was one of great influence in Spain, and, more specifically, in the country’s southern region of Andalusia, where she was born.
The most outstanding tribute paid to this artist was that of Canal Sur Television 2nd of June of 1999. This tribute was paid in a program called “Senderos de Gloria”, giving her take out recognition for her teaching of flamenco and fandango singing.
Prizes[edit]
| Year | Title | Motive |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | La Uva Cultural[3] | Labor de la Fundación Amparo Correa |
| 2005 | Primitivo Lázaro[3] | Compromiso social |
| Posthumous | Buena Uva[3] | Labor de la Fundación Amparo |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco". Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco (in español). Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 flamenco, El arte de vivir el. "AMPARO CORREA -CANTAORES/AS - El Arte de Vivir el Flamenco". elartedevivirelflamenco.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Información, Huelva. "María Amparo Correa Beltrán, 'la novia del fandango'". Huelva Información (in español). Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ↑ canalsur (2016-10-23), Yo soy del Sur | Noelia y Lida lloran al ver las imágenes su profesora, retrieved 2018-05-29
External links[edit]
Amparo Correa singing sevillanas in El Rocío
This article "Amparo Correa" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Amparo Correa. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
