Francisco Flores del Campo (February 16, 1907-December 11, 1993), also
known as Pancho Flores, was a Chilean composer, instrumentalist and
actor, considered one of the most relevant composers of popular music
in the country. He won the folk competition of the Viña del Mar
International Song Festival in 1964 with the tune "Qué bonita va",
performed by Los Huasos Quincheros.Flores del Campo was born in the
rural locality of Antonio Varas, in the outskirts of Santiago. He
began his musical apprenticeship in 1923, when he began to study
singing with Claudio Massuetto. In 1929 he obtained a scholarship from
the Municipality of Viña del Mar to study in the United States, where
he lived for eight years. There, he began a film career, acting in a
minor role in the film El dÃa que me quieras, alongside Carlos
Gardel. At the same time, he performed in various hotels and
nightclubs in New York and Los Angeles. With these experiences he
returned to Chile in 1939, starring in one of the first national film
productions, Romance de medio centenario (Chile Films), and later
artistic director of the Municipal Casino of Viña del Mar.A sore
throat prevented him from keep singing, but this allowed him to focus
on musical composition, in which he was prolific. Of the 150
registered works he penned, many of them have been successfully
recorded by Chilean and foreign artists.One of his best-known works is
the musicalization of the work La pergola de las flores by the Chilean
author Isidora Aguirre, a musical comedy released in 1960, and set in
Santiago in the late 1920s. Flores del Campo composed the music in
function of the rhythms in vogue of those years, adding to it melodies
from Chilean folk music. In this way, he incorporated rhythms such as
charleston, waltz ("Yo vengo de San Rosendo" or "Campo lindo"), cuecas
("La revolta"), tango-habanera ("Je suis Pierre") and tonada ("Tonada
de medianoche").
known as Pancho Flores, was a Chilean composer, instrumentalist and
actor, considered one of the most relevant composers of popular music
in the country. He won the folk competition of the Viña del Mar
International Song Festival in 1964 with the tune "Qué bonita va",
performed by Los Huasos Quincheros.Flores del Campo was born in the
rural locality of Antonio Varas, in the outskirts of Santiago. He
began his musical apprenticeship in 1923, when he began to study
singing with Claudio Massuetto. In 1929 he obtained a scholarship from
the Municipality of Viña del Mar to study in the United States, where
he lived for eight years. There, he began a film career, acting in a
minor role in the film El dÃa que me quieras, alongside Carlos
Gardel. At the same time, he performed in various hotels and
nightclubs in New York and Los Angeles. With these experiences he
returned to Chile in 1939, starring in one of the first national film
productions, Romance de medio centenario (Chile Films), and later
artistic director of the Municipal Casino of Viña del Mar.A sore
throat prevented him from keep singing, but this allowed him to focus
on musical composition, in which he was prolific. Of the 150
registered works he penned, many of them have been successfully
recorded by Chilean and foreign artists.One of his best-known works is
the musicalization of the work La pergola de las flores by the Chilean
author Isidora Aguirre, a musical comedy released in 1960, and set in
Santiago in the late 1920s. Flores del Campo composed the music in
function of the rhythms in vogue of those years, adding to it melodies
from Chilean folk music. In this way, he incorporated rhythms such as
charleston, waltz ("Yo vengo de San Rosendo" or "Campo lindo"), cuecas
("La revolta"), tango-habanera ("Je suis Pierre") and tonada ("Tonada
de medianoche").
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.