Consuelo Velázquez Torres (August 21, 1916, in
Ciudad Guzmán,
Jalisco
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
– January 22, 2005,
Mexico City), also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez,
was a Mexican concert
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
and composer. She was the
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
of famous Mexican ballads such as "
Bésame mucho", "Amar y vivir", and "
Cachito".
Beginning Years
Originally from
Ciudad Guzmán, Mexico, she was the youngest of five daughters born to the soldier and poet Isaac Velázquez de Valle and his wife, María de Jesús Torres Ortíz.
At four years old she started to demonstrate a good ear and an aptitude for music, and at barely six years old she began studying music and piano at the Academia de Música Serratos in
Guadalajara, Mexico
Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...
. After several years of study, when she was 11, she moved to Mexico City, where she continued her studies and obtained a degree in teaching music and concert piano at the
National Conservatory of Music.
Her first public concert was held in the
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...
in the capital, and soon after she began working as a composer of popular music.
As a concert pianist, she was a soloist of
Mexico's National Symphony Orchestra and of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
.
As performing on the radio for a young woman of a wealthy family was risky, she used a male pseudonym in her first years.
Mariano Rivera Conde, who was the
artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...
of the station, pushed her to admit she was the author of the songs. Velázquez married him six years later.
Composer
As a composer her legacy has been more well known. Her first compositions, "No me pidas nunca", "Pasional" and "Déjame quererte", were from the genre "naturaleza romántica", which emphasizes nature's beauty and strength.
Later, songs like "
Bésame mucho", "Amar y vivir", "Verdad Amarga", "Franqueza", "Chiqui", "Cachito", "Que seas feliz", "Enamorada", "Orgullosa y bonita" and "Yo no fui" (a danceable song initially popularized by
Pedro Infante and, in recent years, by
Pedro Fernández) emerged among others. Velázquez's work as an actress in the 1938 Argentinian movie ''Noches de Carnaval'' directed by filmmaker
Julio Saraceni was unique for her career. As a pianist she was also involved in the Mexican movies directed by Julián Soler ''Se le pasó la mano'' made in 1952 and ''Mis padres se divorcian'' made in 1959. Additionally, she appeared in the documentary about her life, ''Consuelo Velázquez'', made in 1992. Throughout her life she composed music for several Mexican movies.
Bésame mucho
Her best-known piece is the iconic song "
Bésame mucho", which she composed in the Cuban music genre
bolero when she was only 16 years old. This piece gained Velázquez the most recognition and brought the most pleasure to her, and was created before Consuelo received her first kiss from someone she loved. After its recording by the Spanish-Mexican baritone
Emilio Tuero,
the famous American pianist and singer
Nat "King" Cole made the first adaptation of the song in English in 1944. From then on, it was interpreted and performed by hundreds of artists around the world, such as
Pedro Infante,
Javier Solís,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Plácido Domingo
José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
,
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
,
Sammy Davis Jr.,
Luis Mariano (who popularized it France),
Dalida
Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...
,
Sonora Santanera,
Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra,
The Ventures
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...
,
Antonio Machín,
Lucho Gatica,
Vera Lynn,
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera".
Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
,
Filippa Giordano,
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (; born 19 April 1970) is a Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as Honorific nicknames in popular music, ''El Sol de Mexico'' ...
,
Sara Montiel
María Antonia Abad Fernández Medal of Merit in Labour, MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer. She began her career in the 1940s and became the most int ...
,
José Carreras,
Ray Conniff
Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.
Biography
Conniff was born November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United S ...
and his Orchestra,
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...
,
Zoé,
Susana Zabaleta and
Mónica Naranjo among others. "Bésame mucho" is also known as "Kiss Me Kiss Me Much", "Kiss Me a Lot", "Kiss Me Again and Again", "Embrasse-Moi" and "Stále ma bozkávaj". Translated into more than 20 languages, the song has become an icon of popular music. Part of its great success in the United States was due to its appeal to women who waited for their husbands during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Personal life
Years after the beginning of her career, Velázquez married the media owner and artist promoter Mariano Rivera Conde (died in 1977), and they had two sons, Mariano and Sergio Rivera Velázquez. In the period between 1979 and 1982 she was a part of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union, which was her only contribution in politics of her country. She was winner of the
National Prize for Science and Arts in the field of Popular Art and Traditions in 1989.
Death
Affected by cardiovascular sickness, Velázquez died on January 22, 2005, at the age of 88. Her body was moved to the
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...
, the stage of her first show, in tribute to the known artists of the town. Her ashes later were buried in the Santo Tomas Moro church, where she went every Sunday for mass. As her last artistic contribution, she performed piano in the most recent album of the Mexican singer Cecilia Toussaint titled ''Para mi... Consuelo'', which contains songs by Velázquez.
In 1977 the concert pianist also received the Award of Peace of the United Nations, together with her colleague the teacher Ramon Inclan Aguilar and the journalist and singer Wilbert Alonzo Cabrera,
Lola Beltrán and Maria Medina. This award was presented to them by the General Clerk of the UN due to this artistic participation and organization of a lavish Mexican festival for the "día del personal" of the United Nations, a day that celebrates the contributions of people in uniform and civilians to the work of the organization.
Recently, it has been discovered that the composer left seven unedited songs in her last wishes, among them "Donde siempre" (dedicated to Cecilia Toussaint), "Mi bello Mazatlán" (that the
Banda El Recodo will record) and "Por el camino", that Velázquez left to the Mexican singer
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (; born 19 April 1970) is a Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as Honorific nicknames in popular music, ''El Sol de Mexico'' ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velazquez, Consuelo
1916 births
2005 deaths
Mexican women composers
Mexican composers
Latin music songwriters
20th-century Mexican women musicians
20th-century Mexican musicians
Women in Latin music
People from Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico) for Mexico City
Women members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
Deputies of the LI Legislature of Mexico