Violeta Parra

Origin

San Carlos, Ñuble

Years Active

1934–1967

Genres

folk, nueva canción chilena, latin American folk music

Instruments

guitar, voice, harp

Biography

Violeta Parra was a foundational Chilean folk artist, singer, and songwriter who also maintained deep and documented connections to the Brazilian musical landscape through her iconic compositions and cross-cultural recordings. Born in San Carlos, Chile, she dedicated her life to rescuing and cataloging traditional rural rhythms, becoming a pillar of Latin American folk culture and the progenitor of the Nueva Canción Chilena movement. Her deeply moving and politically conscious anthems bridged the cultural gaps of the continent, inspiring generations of artists across Latin America.

Her musical legacy deeply touched Brazilian popular music, as her timeless songs were embraced, translated, and performed by legendary Brazilian icons. Notably, her profound anthem "Volver a los 17" received an antological recording by Milton Nascimento and Mercedes Sosa, cementing her status as a revered figure among Brazilian musicians. Furthermore, her universal masterpiece "Gracias a la vida" was memorably recorded by the legendary Brazilian singer Elis Regina, embedding Parra's poetic lyricism firmly into the heart of Brazil's MPB and cultural consciousness.

Beyond her musical contributions, Parra was a visionary visual artist, becoming the first Latin American artist to exhibit her tapestries, oils, and wire sculptures individually at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1964. Despite a life marked by hardship, travel across Europe and the Americas, and profound personal tragedies, she left behind an immortal catalog of recordings, including her final masterwork "Ultimas composiciones". Her enduring influence continues to resonate throughout South America, linking the soul of Chilean folklore with the expressive depth of Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento and Elis Regina.

Discography

• El Folklore de Chile (1957)
• El Folklore de Chile - Vol II (1958)
• La Cueca Presentada por Violeta Parra (1959)
• El Folklore de Chile - Vol. IV - La Tonada (1959)
• Toda Violeta Parra - El Folklore de Chile Vol. VIII (1960)
• El Folklore de Chile Según Violeta Parra (1962)
• Recordando a Chile: Canciones de Violeta Parra (1965)
• Violeta Parra - Grupo Chagual - Roberto Parra - Conj. Quelentaro - Lautaro Parra – La Carpa de La Reina (1966)
• Las Ultimas Composiciones de Violeta Parra (1966)
• Canciones Reencontradas En París (1971)
• Violeta Parra Et Isabel Et Angel Parra – Un Rio de Sangre (1974)
• L'art de Violeta Parra - Un rio de sangre (1974)
• Canciones Inéditas (1975)
• Ausente... Presente... Cantos de Chile (1975)
• Violeta Parra, Isabel Parra, Angel Parra, Victor Jara – Chile Canta: El Disco de Plata Del Folklore Chileno (1976)
• Canciones Ineditas Vol 2 (1976)
• Décimas (1976)
• Cantos de Chile (1980)
• Cantos Campesinos (1998)
• Composiciones para Guitarra (1999)
• En Ginebra (1999)
• El Folklore Y La Pasión (2006)
• La Jardinera Y Su Canto (2006)
• Canto Popular de Chile (2009)
• En El Aula Magna de Concepción (2010)
• La Cueca (2010)
• Centésima Del Alma (2010)
• Cantos Chilenos (2011)
• Hace Falta un Guerrillero (2011)
• En Vivo en Ginebra (Live) (2011)
• Violeta Parra y Su Guitarra (2011)
• En Argentina (2011)
• Violeta (2013)
• Violeta del Pueblo (2014)
• Cuecas y Tonadas Populares (2014)
• Yo Canto la Diferencia (2015)
• 30 cantos populares de Chile (2015)
• Violeta Parra En Sus 90 Años (2017)
• La Petaquita (2018)
• Yo También Quiero Casarme (2018)
• Gracias a Violeta (2019)
• Recordando a Chile (2022)
• Guitarra Y Libertad - Chilean Folk Songs (2022)
• A Lo Humano, A Lo Divino (2023)
• SUITE VIOLETA (2025)
• Michele Millner Chante Violeta Parra Avec Sylvain Fournier (4) · Yves Cerf · Paco Chambi – Las Décimas
• Santiago Penando Estas