Roberto Parra Sandoval (1921-1995)
Chile | Musician, songwriter, author, folklorist
BIOGRAPHY
A prolific musician, songwriter, author, and folklorist, Roberto Parra Sandoval was a significant cultural figure in Chile affectionately known as “El Tío Roberto.” Parra Sandoval began his music career at the age of 14, performing at various festivals in San Antonio and Chile. A member of the illustrious Parra family, he formed the duo Los Hermanos Parra with his brother Eduardo in 1938 and collaborated with his sister Violeta Parra, niece Isabel Parra, and son Àngel Parra on several compositions and recordings. Parra Sandoval was the creator of “jazz huachacha,” a genre that combined elements of foxtrot with “choras.” In 1971, Parra Sandoval wrote La Negra Ester, an autobiographical musical based on the poem of the same name, the earliest production of which was staged by Gran Circo Teatro in 1988. In 1995, he received an honorary distinction from the Sociedad Chilena del Derecho de Autor (SCD) for his contributions to Chilean music and folklore.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT IU-BLOOMINGTON LIBRARIES
View all available resources by Roberto Parra Sandoval here.
Parra, Roberto. El Golpe. 1a. ed. Santiago de Chile: LOM Ediciones, 1998.
AUDIO RECORDINGS
Alexander Street Press
These resources are only available to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington.
El conventillo
Roberto Parra and Angel Parra, Geografía Musical de Chile, Alerce, 1999.
La bebé
Roberto Parra and Angel Parra, Geografía Musical de Chile, Alerce, 1999.
Ya me voy de espalda al loro
Roberto Parra and Angel Parra, Geografía Musical de Chile, Alerce, 1999.
La perra con el perro
Roberto Parra and Angel Parra, Geografía Musical de Chile, Alerce, 1999.
El chute Alberto
Roberto Parra and Angel Parra, Geografía Musical de Chile, Alerce, 1999.
Los tiempos de la Negra Ester
Roberto Parra, Alexander Street Press, Alerce, 1995.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Felipe Correa. Documental "Esto es Jazz Huachaca" (Roberto Parra, 1991)
La Negra Ester (Gran Circo Teatro, Chile)
REVIEWS
This resource is only available to authorized users at Indiana University-Bloomington.
La Negra Ester
Mintz, Florinda. "'La Negra Ester' Breaks the Mold: Stage: Roberto Parra's Celebrated Love Poem to a Prostitute Borrows Elements from both Traditional and Avant-Garde Theater." Los Angeles Times, Sep 11, 1990. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
Fondo Roberto Parra, Biblioteca Nacional Digital de Chile
The digital collection Fondo Roberto Parra features digitized manuscripts of his poetry.
DISCOGRAPHY
A brief discography of Roberto Parra Sandoval's works is available on Wikipedia.