Afro-Peruvian music, while popular, was not considered 'high art' due to the prevalent racism and devaluation of Afro-Peruvian culture. Towards the end of her career, Chabuca Granda incorporated Afro-Peruvian rhythms into her work. Later in her career she wrote songs dedicated to the Chilean Violeta Parra (' Cardo o ceniza') and to Javier Heraud, a Peruvian poet and guerrillero, who was killed in 1963 by the Peruvian army. She broke the conventional rhythmic structure of the waltz, later broke convention with her poetic cadences as well. Some of her most famous songs from this period are ' Lima de veras', 'La flor de la Canela', ' Fina estampa', 'Gracia', ' José Antonio', and 'Zeñó Manué', to name a few. However, she wasn't well known until after her divorce, a scandal in contemporary Lima, noted for a very conservative Catholic society.Įarly in her career her work was expressive and picturesque – evoking the romantic and beautiful neighborhood of Barranco in Lima, with its grand French houses with impressive entrances and winter gardens. She began singing at 12 years old, in the school choir at the exclusive girls' school Colegio Sophianum, in San Isidro, an affluent neighborhood of Lima, Peru.Īt this age she sang as a soprano (an operation later gave her the deep voice for which she is remembered). The Peruvian singer and composer would have been 100 this year.Granda was born on 3 September 1920, in a copper mining area in the region of Apurímac. A statue in BarrancoĪ statue of the national icon stands near the Barranco landmark known as the ‘bridge of sighs.’ The Peruvian singer helped make it famous in her song, “ El Puente de los Suspiros.”ĭue to heart problems, Chabuca Granda passed away in the United States in March of 1983. To commemorate Chabuca’s 100th birthday, Preludio will air the musical on their YouTube channel on Thursday, Septemat 8pm Peru time (9pm EST, 6pm PST). In 2016, the theater association Preludio Asociación Cultural staged the musical Dejame que te cuente, a dazzling tribute to the singer that puts on display moments in her life/career with performances of her most recognized songs. Considered a Criollo waltz, the song was composed by Chabuca is 1950 however did not become popular until a few years later when the Peruvian band, Los Chamas, recorded a cover. Perhaps her most famous song was “ La flor de la canela,” or Cinnamon flower. Some credit her divorce, a scandalous event for the conservative Lima of this time, as a promotional plus for making her known. Her distinctively deep voice set the singer apart, however she did not gain an immediate fan base.

Reportedly, she began singing at the tender age of twelve, whereby she was named vice-president of her school’s choir group. A native of Apurimac, a copper-driven region in southern-central Peru, Chabuca and her family migrated to Lima when she was a young girl.

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