Morella Valarino Muñoz (July 29, 1935 – July 15, 1995), was a celebrated

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

. She performed as a child under the pseudonym Morella Kenton, and as an adult as Morella Muñoz. She achieved national and international fame as a member of Venezuela's '.

Early life

Muñoz was born in San José Parish, in the Venezuelan capital of

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, to father Juan Antillano Valarino and mother Mercedes Muñoz. In 1946 she entered the Andrés Bello Lyceum, where she started singing with the choir. She attended

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...

, where she performed with the university's choir.

Career

In 1948, the adolescent Muñoz' talents led to her performing, under the pseudonym Morella Kenton, on Radiodifusora Venezuela. Her popularity soon led to her performing on television, with Víctor Saume on his variety program. Muñoz began her formal vocal studies in 1953, at the School of Music Jose Angel Lamas. Her instructors included Inocente Carreño,

Vicente Emilio Sojo Vicente Emilio Sojo (December 8, 1887 – August 11, 1974) was a Venezuelan musicologist, educator and composer, born in Guatire, Miranda. Biography Vicente Emilio Sojo was born to a musical family. Most notable was the fact that both his gre ...

and

Juan Bautista Plaza Juan Bautista Plaza Alfonso ( Caracas, Venezuela June 19, 1898 – 1965) was a classical composer. He began studies in medicine at the Central University of Venezuela but, with time, left in order to dedicate himself to music. His first teach ...

. In 1961, Muñoz made her debut at the Palazzo Forte in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

, at the Academy of Musical Culture. That same year she was awarded the Prague Spring Prize. In 1962, composer Rafael Suárez and Domingo Mendoza worked together to form the singing group ''Quinteto Contrapunto'' (Counterpoint Quintet). Muñoz joined fellow

Aida Navarro Aida Navarro (born October 17, 1937), is a Venezuelan mezzo-soprano, born in Caracas. She studied lyric singing in Venezuela, The U.S. and in Vienna, Austria. She excelled in many opera and chamber music presentations in Europe and Latin Americ ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

Jesús Sevillano, Suárez singing

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

(in addition to composer, director) and Mendoza providing the bass voice. Performing traditional Venezuelan folk songs, Contrapunto achieved national and international fame, performing together until 1971, when Suárez unexpectedly died at age 41. Muñoz continued to perform, and would later serve as advisor to the Venezuelan Minister of State for Culture, from 1989 to 1992.

Personal life

Muñoz married Pedro Álvarez in 1961. She died in 1995, at age 59, just two weeks before her 60th birthday. In 2007 Morella Muñoz' musical work was declared cultural heritage of the Libertador Municipality of Caracas.

Morella Muñoz Foundation

Shortly after her death, a group of family and friends created the Morella Muñoz Foundation. The Foundation organizes and sponsors events to keep Morella's legacy alive and also support young talents by providing a platform on which they can learn.

Discography

With the Contrapunto Quintet, Muñoz recorded her first album in 1962. The group released five albums during its original nine-year existence (releasing others a few years after Muñoz' death). In 1967, Muñoz worked with Venezuelan classical guitarist and composer

Alirio Díaz __NOTOC__ Alirio Díaz (12 November 19235 July 2016) was a Venezuelan classical guitarist and composer, considered one of the most prominent composer-guitarists of South America and an eminent musician. He studied with Andrés Segovia, and gave ...

to create the album ''Alirio y Morella''. In 1982 an anthological edition of 12 discs was released, accompanied by the testimonial book ''The Invention of Singing'' by Carlos González Vegas. In 1994 the album ''Morella Muñoz, Our Voice'' was released.

Awards and decorations

*Venezuelan National Music Award *Order of Andrés Bello *

Order of Francisco de Miranda The Order of Francisco de Miranda (''Orden Francisco de Miranda'') is conferred by the Republic of Venezuela in memory of Francisco de Miranda (1754–1816). This national honor and decoration was created to recognize Venezuelan citizens and forei ...

*Order of Merit at Work *Order of Vicente Emilio Sojo *Order of Luisa Amelia Perozo

References

External links

Morella Muñoz Discography
(with the Quinteto Contrapunto)
Songs of ''Pilón'' by Morella Muñoz''Cantos indígenas'' by Morella Muñoz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munoz, Morella 1935 births 1995 deaths People from Caracas Venezuelan classical musicians 20th-century Venezuelan women singers Venezuelan folk singers 20th-century classical musicians