María del Consuelo Vello Cano, known as La Fornarina (Madrid, 28 May 1884- Madrid 17 July 1915) was an early twentieth-century ''

Cuplé The cuplé was a popular risqué Spanish theatre song style in the late years of the 19th century. From 1893–1911 the songs were a feature of the "género ínfimo" (lowest type) cabaret theatre sung by solo female singers, or men in drag, and a ...

'' singer whose short career –barely 15 years– nevertheless brought her fame throughout Spain and Europe. Among her admirers were

Jacinto Benavente Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (12 August 1866 – 14 July 1954) was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922 "for the happy manner in which he has continued the illustrious ...

and the brothers

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

and Manuel Machado.

Biography

Daughter of the

Civil Guard Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations: Current * Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie * Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve * Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil Histori ...

Laureano Vello Álvarez and the

laundress A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in laundry. Both terms are now old-fashioned; equivalent work nowadays is done by a laundry worker in large commercial premises, or a laundrette (laundromat) attendant. Description As evidenc ...

Benita Cano Rodríguez. Her first notable appearances were as chorus girl in the

Teatro de la Zarzuela The Teatro de la Zarzuela is a theatre in Madrid, Spain. The theatre is today mainly devoted to zarzuela (the Spanish traditional musical theatre genre), as well as operetta and recitals. History The theatre was designed by architect Jerónimo ...

in Madrid and her presence is also documented in the capital's ''Teatro Japonés'' around 1900. She apparently owed her nickname, "La Fornarina" (the baker girl) to the La Época journalist Javier Betegón. She already appeared under the name at the Teatro Romea in Madrid, the Teatro Nuevo Retiro in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and the Salon Novedades in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. From 1904, she became associated with the lyricist José Juan Cadenas. Her appearances abroad can be traced to 1905, in Lisbon's

Coliseu dos Recreios The Coliseu dos Recreios (also known as Coliseu de Lisboa) is a multi-purpose auditorium located in Lisbon, Portugal. History The main building was constructed within a metal lattice by Francisco Goulard between 1888 and 1890. While the facade ...

. Soon, she became the star of the Teatro Lara, the Salón de Novedades and the Zarzuela in Madrid as well as the Príncipe Real theatre in

Oporto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. Her grand entrance on the international scene was at the Parisian "Apollo Théatre" in 1907. It is in Paris that she meets Quinito Valverde, author of the song '' Clavelitos'' (''Little Carnations'') (1909) that would become her greatest success. With this song she trod the boards of London's

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

, the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

in Paris or the Palais Soleil in

Montecarlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is l ...

, even appearing in St Petersburg in 1909. After the long European tour, King

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

presided over one of her appearances at the

Teatro de la Comedia Teatro may refer to: * Theatre * Teatro (band), musical act signed to Sony BMG * Teatro (Willie Nelson album), ''Teatro'' (Willie Nelson album), 1998 * Teatro (Draco Rosa album), ''Teatro'' (Draco Rosa album), 2008 {{disambiguation ...

. In 1914, a year before her premature death, she premiered ''El ultimo cuplé'' (the last cuplé) (a theme that would inspire the 1957 film

The Last Torch Song ''The Last Torch Song'', better known under its Spanish title ''El último cuplé'', is a 1957 Spanish jukebox musical film directed by Juan de Orduña and starring Sara Montiel, Armando Calvo and Enrique Vera. It was released in Spain on 6 M ...

, starring another Spanish diva,

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer, who also held Mexican citizenship since 1951. She began her career in the 1940s an ...

. Critics of the time wrote that she supplemented her a weak voice with good modulation and "exquisite low notes". She died at the height of her fame, at the age of 31 and is buried in

Saint Isidore Cemetery Saint Isidore Cemetery is a monumental cemetery in the Spanish capital Madrid. Its first courtyard was erected in 1811 and new expansions were added throughout the 19th Century. Its central courtyard, called “Patio de la Concepción” (Concepti ...

. Other notable "Queens of cuplé" were La Chelito and

Raquel Meller Francisca Romana Marqués López (9 March 1888 – 26 July 1962), better known as Raquel Meller, was a Spanish diseuse, cuplé, and tonadilla singer and actress. She was an international star in the 1920s and 1930s, appearing in several films a ...

References

{{Authority control 1884 births 1915 deaths Singers from Madrid 20th-century Spanish women singers 20th-century Spanish singers Cupletistas