Enrique el Mellizo
Enrique Jiménez Fernández also known as Enrique el Mellizo (* 1. December 1848 in Cadiz , Spain ; † the 30th May 1906 , Sevilla , Spain) was a famous flamenco - singer . Together with Silverio Franconetti and Antonio Chacón , he is considered one of the most important singers for the development of flamenco. In particular, he had a great influence on the development of the flamenco styles of Cádiz. He was the originator of one of the most important Malagueña styles and is considered the creator of styles of the Palos Soleá , Alegría , Tango and Saeta and some as the forefather of Tiento .
Life
Enrique el Mellizo was the illegitimate son of the butcher Antonio Jiménez, whose nickname he adopted as a stage name . Although Mellizo means twin, he had no twin brothers. He learned his father's trade, only performed occasionally in the Cantante cafes of Cádiz and did not want to become a professional singer. Although he almost never left his hometown, his fame grew in Andalusia . Singers from other cities came to Cádiz to hear his performances. Although he had an agreeable character, he is said to have a strange personality. So he withdrew z. B. returned to lonely places during personal crises and avoided company. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 58 .
Other singers (mostly from Cádiz) who knew him adopted his style. His legacy has been kept alive by singers such as his brother Enrique and Antonio , Aurelio Sellés , El Niño de la Isla , Manolo Vargas , La Perla de Cádiz , Chaquetón , Pericón de Cádiz , Manolo Caracol , Chano Lobato .
Music legacy
The main creation of El Mellizo is its Malagueñas style. Innovative in his day, he mixed the malagueña with the style of the gitanos . According to tradition, he created this style after an unhappy love that brought him a time of loneliness. During this time he often attended a church and was inspired by the introductory chants of the priests in Holy Mass. In memory of this, such introductions to a Malagueña are sometimes sung today. Contrary to the opinion of the critics, El Mellizo was the first to sang the Malagueña as cante libre (free singing), i.e. without any binding metrics or rhythmic structure.
Other contributions attributed to him by oral tradition are
- He brought the alegría into the classical form, which has been handed down to this day, and was probably the first to sing it as Cantes para escuchar (song to be heard ) and not exclusively as an accompaniment to the dance.
- Some sources name him as the creator of the Tientos .
- He created and developed various styles of soleares .
- He contributed to the musical development of tango .
- He created the Saetas por seguiriyas by using elements of Seguiriyas for traditional Saetas .
- He created various seguiriyas.
literature
- Ángel Álvarez Caballero: El cante flamenco . Alianza Editorial, Madrid 2004, ISBN 84-206-4325-4 , p. 117-124 .
- Martin Salazar, Jorge: Los cantes flamencos . Diputación provincial de Granada, 1991, ISBN 84-7807-041-9 (Spanish).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Miguel Ortiz: Alegría. In: Flamenco Viejo. March 16, 2010, Retrieved May 4, 2019 (Spanish).
- ↑ Ángel Álvarez Caballero: El cante flamenco . 2004, ISBN 84-206-4325-4 , pp. 120 (Spanish).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Enrique el Mellizo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jiménez Fernández, Enrique (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish flamenco singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1, 1848 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cadiz , Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 30, 1906 |
| Place of death | Seville , Spain |