Guillermo "Willy" Alfonso Bascuñán Dockendorff (born 19 November 1942, in Viña del Mar), is a Chilean composer and actor. He is the only composer who has obtained both the first place in the folkloric and international competitions in the same edition of the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the "

fundamental figures of Chilean music Fundamental figure of Chilean music, or "Figura fundamental de la música chilena", is an award presented annually by the Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes Musicales (SCD), recognizing Chilean artists who have had important influence and le ...

" by the Chilean Society of Copyright.

Biography

In the 1960s, along with

Patricio Manns Iván Patricio Eugenio Manns de Folliot (3 August 1937 – 25 September 2021) was a Chilean singer, composer, author, poet, novelist, essayist, play writer and journalist. He is known for his 1965 song " Arriba en la Cordillera". Life and car ...

Luis Urquidi Luis Enrique Urquidi Holberton (3 October 1935 − 3 March 1994) was a Chilean musician and folklorist. Despite he was born in Antofagasta, Urquidi was grew up in Valparaíso, where then joined the Pontifical Catholic University of Valpara� ...

, Violeta Parra,

Isabel Parra Violeta Isabel Cereceda Parra (born 29 September 1939), better known as Isabel Parra, is a famous Chilean singer-songwriter and interpreter of Latin American musical folklore. Early years Parra was born in Chile in 1939 and began her career in ...

, Ángel Parra, and Víctor Jara, he was one of the pioneers of the Chilean neo-folklore. He composed many hits, such as "El solitaire", "El ovejero", "Cachimbo alegre" and "El maco Amengual", among others. He competed in both genres of the Viña del Mar Song Festival in 1967 with the songs "Cuando rompa el alba" (in the popular category) and "Voy pa 'Mendoza" (in the folkloric category), under the pseudonyms "El Fugitivo" and "Juan Carlos ", respectively. Their songs were the winners of the respective competitions that year. He has also composed historical musical works such as "¡Al 7° de Línea!", which was the first stereo album and conceptual album recorded in Chile, whose song "Los viejos estandartes" (lit: The old standards), with lyrics by Jorge Inostroza and popularized by Los Cuatro Cuartos, which was a musical group he belonged to, would later become the official anthem of the Chilean Army. In 2005 he released the CD entitled Soy del Sur, in which he sings together with Ginette Acevedo, Antonio Zabaleta and various Chilean musicians. That same year, he composed "Al 7° de Línea: Segunda Edición, La Nación en Armas". As an actor, he participated with the comedian Ronco Retes in the comedic series "Troncal Negrete" on TVN, thus forming one of the most remembered comedic dio of the Chilean musical environment. In 2018, he released an autobiographical book, "Tiempo y camino, autobiografía de Willy Bascuñán".

Politics

He was an adherent of the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

and, a sympathizer of the ''Avanzada Nacional'' political party, he composed its anthem. He participated in the television strip of the

1988 Chilean national plebiscite The 1988 Chilean national plebiscite was a national referendum held on 5 October 1988 to determine whether Chile's ''de facto'' leader, Augusto Pinochet, should extend his rule for another eight years through 1996. The "No" side won with nearly ...

, campaigning for the "Yes" option. Inspired by the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in London, he composed the song "Carta a los chilenos" (lit: Letter to Chileans) in his honor.

References

External links

Willy Bascuñán's website
(in Spanish)
Willy Bascuñán
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Bascunan, Willy Living people 1942 births Chilean composers Chilean male composers People from Viña del Mar Chilean anti-communists Musicians from Viña del Mar