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Victor Jara Birth
Victor Jara born september 28, 1932. He lived in Lonquén, Chile. His real name wasVíctor Lidio Jara Martínez. -
do suff you have to do
He grew up in rural poverty.No matter how difficult things got for the Jara family, Amanda insisted that the children go to school. Jara moved with his mother and siblings to the Chilean capital of Santiago, where his mother found work in a small restaurant. -
15 years after
Victor’s dad moved to work on a farm. His mom died when he was 15 in 1947. His sister died her name was Amanda. -
whip
In 1952,Jara enjoyed the music he heard and sang at the seminary, but he was not cut out for the requirements of the priesthood, particularly that of celibacy. Students had to whip themselves while taking a cold shower if they experienced sexual desire, and Jara complained that during the two years he spent at the seminary, everything healthy, that implied a state of physical well being, had to be put aside in. -
A monk
His audition was successful, and he appeared on stage in Carl Orff's musico-dramatic work Carmina Burana, dressed as a monk. By late 1954 he had made friends among the choir's membership, traveled with them to the north of Chile to learn about the folk music of the region—the one from which Jara had originally come. He joined a mime group consisting of Santiago theater students who were all much better off financially than Jara, but accepted him as part of the group. -
10 years later
In 1957 he met Violeta Parra, one of the founders of the nueva canción movement. He began playing folk songs with a decided leftist bent, and he released his self-titled debut album (also called Canto a lo humano [Hymn to the Human] re released in 1966. He followed with a number of well-received recordings, including Pongo en tus manos abiertas... (1969; Put into Your Open Hands), El derecho de vivir en paz(1971; The Right to Live in Peace), and La población (1972; The Population). -
University
Jara then studied theatre at the University of Chile. Upon his graduation he began working as a stage director, a pursuit he continued even after his singing career took off.Jara’s interest in folk music was sparked when in 1957 he met Violeta Parra, one of the founders of the nueva canción movement. -
when he first started
When victor was 15 he left school. He began playing folk songs. He released an album in 1966. -
theme song
The nueva canción songs gained prominence as Chile became a centre of political turmoil during the late 1960s and early ’70s, which included the election of socialist Pres. Salvador Allende in 1970 and his overthrow by Pinochet in 1973. Jara’s song “Venceremos” (“We Will Overcome”) was the theme song of Allende’s political party (the leftist Popular Unity) during his successful presidential campaign and became a leftist anthem throughout Chile. -
Victor is dead
Soon after the coup began—on September 11, 1973—Jara was among the thousands of Popular Unity members and supporters arrested by Pinochet’s forces and held in a football (soccer) stadium. There he was beaten repeatedly. When his fingers were smashed by guards, and he was mockingly asked to play guitar and sing for his fellow prisoners, Jara responded by defiantly singing “Venceremos.” He was soon thereafter shot and killed by Pinochet’s forces.
