Tomás el Nitri
Tomás el Nitri , real name probably Tomás Francisco Lázaro de la Santa Trinidad Ortega López Heredia Monge (* probably December 17, 1838 in El Puerto de Santa María , province of Cádiz ; † November 2, 1877 in Jerez de la Frontera ), was a Spanish Flamenco singer.
Life
A number of theories and myths surround the life of Tomás el Nitri. It was widely believed that his name was Tomás Medrano Vargas and that he was born in Arcos de la Frontera . In 1973 Luiz Suárez Avila came across a baptismal register in Puerto de Santa María, which seemed to indicate the date of baptism December 14, 1850 and the name Tomás Vargas Suárez Ortega de la Seda . No place of birth was noted there, however. Based on genealogical research, Manuel Bohórquez came to the conclusion that Tomás el Nitri must have been a nephew of El Fillo and that his parents were Andrés Ortega Heredia (1810–1869) and Luisa López Monge. For Tomás Francisco Lázaro de la Santa Trinidad Ortega López Heredia Monge there is a baptism certificate with the date of birth December 17, 1838.
The alleged father Andrés Ortega Heredia was a blacksmith by profession. Until Tomás el Nitri was 15 years old, the family lived in Puerto de Santa María. In 1853 they moved to Cádiz . Tomás initially took up his father's profession of blacksmith. The family was closely connected to the musical culture of their ethnic group, the Gitanos . Tomás also performed singing and dancing at family gatherings, encouraged by singing masters who lived in the vicinity. Eventually he left home and gave up his craft to sing in Triana , Málaga , Granada and Jerez de la Frontera. He was highly regarded as a singer, but led a reckless lifestyle. Alcohol and gambling made his health worse. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 38 .
According to Manolo Caracol , Tomás el Nitri was also a good dancer before turning entirely to singing.
Tomás el Nitri was friends with Silverio Franconetti . The artistic rivalry between the two became legend - and an early paradigm of the rivalry between Gitanos and Andalusians in flamenco. The two met many times during their artistic careers, but both refused to sing in front of the other.
reception
Tomás el Nitri was considered an excellent interpreter of the melancholy Seguiriya and one of the best singers in the era of the cafés cantantes .
He was the first singer to be awarded the Llave de Oro del Cante , the most prestigious award for singing in flamenco. According to José Luis Pantoja Antúnez, the key consisted of 72 ounces of silver; the wealthy El Planeta donated it. The latter is doubtful, however, since El Planeta presumably died in 1856. Silverio Franconetti personally presented the award in a café cantante in Málaga.
References and comments
- ↑ a b c Manuel Bohórquez: Desvelado el misterio de Tomás el Nitri. In: El Correo de Andalucía. September 1, 2012, archived from the original on July 1, 2017 ; Retrieved April 9, 2019 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b c d e f Ángel Álvarez Caballero: El cante flamenco . Alianza Editorial, Madrid 2004, ISBN 978-84-206-4325-0 , p. 96 .
- ↑ Golden key of song
- ↑ José Luis Pantoja Antúnez: Evocación de las grandes figuras del flamenco . Asta Regia, Jerez de la Frontera 1963.
- ↑ around two kilograms
- ↑ sic, despite the name
- ↑ a b Ángel Álvarez Caballero: El cante flamenco . S. 97 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | El Nitri, Tomás |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ortega López Heredia Monge, Tomás Francisco Lázaro de la Santa Trinidad (likely real name); Medrano Vargas, Tomás (presumed name), Vargas Suárez Ortega de la Seda, Tomás (presumed name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish flamenco singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 17, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | El Puerto de Santa María , Province of Cadiz |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 2nd 1977 |
| Place of death | Jerez de la Frontera |