Cortez was born in Rancul, La Pampa Province, Argentina. He began elementary school at the Alberto Williams conservatory at the age of six. He began composing songs at twelve, including "Un cigarrillo, la lluvia y tú". Later he entered Manuel Ignacio Molina de San Rafael Junior High School in Mendoza province. There he continued his studies of music at the Chopin of San Rafael conservatory.
At seventeen, Cortez became the singer of the Arizona orchestra, where he was known as Chiquito García. At eighteen, he went to study in the Social Sciences and Law School of Buenos Aires and sang in bars to help himself with his studies. Later Cortez began to sing in the orchestra of Mario Cardi and was contracted to sing in the San Francisco jazz orchestra. He traveled all over the country with them and began to use his pseudonym "Alberto Cortez" while singing with the orchestra of Armando Pointier. Cortez dropped out of school and dedicated himself fully to music.
Aged twenty, Cortez travelled to Antwerp, Belgium where he recorded his first album. His record "Sucu Sucu" reached number one. Cortez met Renee Govaerts and later married her. After a difficult start he consolidated himself as one of the more renowned composer-singers of Latin America with hits like "Mi árbol y yo", "Mariana", "Como el primer día", "A partir de mañana" and "Callejero".
Cortez and his wife lived in Madrid,Spain.
He died on April 4, 2019 in Madrid, Spain, at 79 years of age.
Retrato
Alberto Cortez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
y un huerto claro donde madura el limonero
mi juventud, veinte años en tierras de Castilla
mi historia, algunos casos que recordar no quiero
Ni un seductor Mañara ni un Bradomin he sido
- ya conocéis mi torpe aliño indumentario
mas recibí la flecha que me asignó Cupido
y amé cuanto ellas pueden tener de hospitalario
pero mi verso brota de manantial sereno
y más que un hombre al uso que sabe su doctrina
soy en el buen sentido de la palabra, bueno
Desdeño las romanzas de los tenores huecos
y el coro de los grillos que cantan a la luna
A distinguir me paro las voces de los ecos
y escucho solamente, entre las voces, una
Converso con el hombre que siempre va conmigo
- quién habla solo, espera hablar a Dios un Día
mi soliloquio es plática con este buen amigo
que me enseñó el secreto de la filantropía
Y al cabo, nada os debo; debéisme cuanto he escrito
A mi trabajo acudo, con mi dinero pago
el traje que me cubre y la mansión que habito
el pan que me alimenta y el lecho donde yago
Y cuando llegue el día del último viaje
y esté al partir la nave que nunca ha de tornar
me encontraréis a bordo, ligero de equipaje
casi desnudo, como los hijos de la mar.
The lyrics of Alberto Cortez's song "Retrato" are a melancholic reflection on the poet's life journey. The first stanza takes the listener to the memories of the poet's childhood, where he recalls the clear courtyard of Sevilla and the ripe lemon tree of his garden. In the second stanza, the poet speaks of his youth, spent in Castile, and his history, which has several cases he'd rather not remember. However, the third stanza is the most telling, where he confesses that he is neither a seductive Mañara nor a Bradomín, rather a simple person who, despite receiving Cupid's arrow, loves only what is truly hospitable.
In the fourth stanza, the poet talks about his lineage, which runs deep with jacobin blood, but his poetry is like a serene spring. He then describes himself as a good person rather than a man who knows doctrine. The fifth stanza talks about the poet's distaste for the trite romances of tenors and the meaningless chirping of crickets. In contrast, he listens intently to the echoes' voices, distinguished and separated to hear one voice.
In the sixth and penultimate stanza, the poet speaks of his conversations with his constant companion, the voice inside him. He says, "I converse with the man who is always with me - he who speaks alone hopes to speak with God one day. My soliloquy is a conversation with this good friend who taught me the secrets of philanthropy." The final stanza is a parting remark, where the poet talks about the debt he owes to nobody, yet his works speak for themselves. He pays for his clothes, bed, and board, and when the time comes, he'll be ready to leave with nothing but his thoughts and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi infancia son recuerdos de un patio de Sevilla
My childhood is made up of memories of a courtyard in Seville
y un huerto claro donde madura el limonero
And a clear orchard where the lemon tree ripens
mi juventud, veinte años en tierras de Castilla
My youth, twenty years in the lands of Castile
mi historia, algunos casos que recordar no quiero
My history, some cases I don't want to remember
Ni un seductor Mañara ni un Bradomin he sido
I have not been a seducer like Mañara or Bradomin
- ya conocéis mi torpe aliño indumentario
- You already know my clumsy dress style
mas recibí la flecha que me asignó Cupido
But I received Cupid's arrow that was assigned to me
y amé cuanto ellas pueden tener de hospitalario
And I loved everything they can have that is hospitable
Hay en mis venas gotas de sangre jacobina
There are drops of Jacobin blood in my veins
pero mi verso brota de manantial sereno
But my verse springs from a serene spring
y más que un hombre al uso que sabe su doctrina
And more than just a man who knows his doctrine
soy en el buen sentido de la palabra, bueno
I am, in the good sense of the word, good
Desdeño las romanzas de los tenores huecos
I disdain the romances of hollow tenors
y el coro de los grillos que cantan a la luna
And the chorus of crickets that sing to the moon
A distinguir me paro las voces de los ecos
I stop to distinguish the voices from the echoes
y escucho solamente, entre las voces, una
And I only listen to one voice among the voices
Converso con el hombre que siempre va conmigo
I converse with the man who always goes with me
- quién habla solo, espera hablar a Dios un Día
- He who speaks alone, expects to speak to God one day
mi soliloquio es plática con este buen amigo
My soliloquy is a chat with this good friend
que me enseñó el secreto de la filantropía
Who taught me the secret of philanthropy
Y al cabo, nada os debo; debéisme cuanto he escrito
And in the end, I owe you nothing; you owe me everything I've written
A mi trabajo acudo, con mi dinero pago
I go to my work, and pay with my money
el traje que me cubre y la mansión que habito
For the suit that covers me and the mansion I live in
el pan que me alimenta y el lecho donde yago
For the bread that feeds me and the bed where I lie
Y cuando llegue el día del último viaje
And when the day of the last journey comes
y esté al partir la nave que nunca ha de tornar
And the ship that will never return is ready to leave
me encontraréis a bordo, ligero de equipaje
You will find me on board, lightly packed
casi desnudo, como los hijos de la mar.
Almost naked, like the sons of the sea.
Contributed by Addison P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
quijotachapina1
Ay Dios mío cómo me conmueve este poema, esta canción, esta interpretación ❤️, gracias Machado, Serrat, Cortez
Marcelo Sandoval
Inolvidable ser humano, intérprete, compositor, arreglador, poeta y filósofo…se echan de menos verdaderos artistas como el gran Alberto Cortez…donde estés, tú arte seguirá iluminando el mundo oscuro que habitamos…
Airam RR
Sí...
Fernando Romero
EXCELENTE!!!
Airam RR
No puedo parar de escucharla... 😍