Male flamenco singer |
| Name:Antonio Ortega Escalona |
| Birth: 1844 Vélez-Málaga (Málaga) |
"Juan Breva´s singing is characterised by its emotion, its nostalgic sweetness, its powerful musicality. (...) The emotion is expressed with dignity, both in musical and literary terms, without making any concessions to the coarse sentimentalism that was to invade Andalucía shortly afterwards". Ricardo Molina.
|
|
Juan Breva is undoubtedly the best cantaor from Málaga ever. He was outstanding from the very start at singing the cantes from his native land, verdiales and bandolás. Starting from these, he created a new style that has been considered the origin of today´s malagueña, although the two cannot be fully identified with each other. Possibly, the most appropriate solution would be to speak of Juan Breva´s new cante, although his importance is such that it is almost impossible to erradicate the expression "Juan Breva´s malagueña". Juan Breva himself was the author of some of the lyrics that he sang. At the same time, he sometimes played the guitar to accompany his own singing.
There are several facts that confirm the importance of his singing: in Madrid, he used to sing in three different cafés (El Imparcial, Barquillo and the Príncipe Alfonso theatre) every night; a clause in some of his contracts stipulated that he was to be paid in gold; king Alfonso XII used to call on him to sing in the royal palace, paying him in cash or in royal tiepins, and he even assigned him a lifelong pension; poets like Rubén Darío and Federico García Lorca have written verses that were inspired by him.
In spite of such success he died in poverty, without even having enough money for his burial. After his death, his figure was forgotten for some time. At present, it has been re-established and recognised: in 1976 the annual flamenco festival in Vélez Málaga was name after him; in 1970 a statue was erected as a tribute to his singing in his hometown; several flamenco peñas (enthusiasts´ clubs) bear his name, as does a street. Finally, several cantaores acknowledge him as one of their teachers. |
|
Complete listing of Juan Breva products: |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
News
about Juan Breva: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Varios Artistas
