Biography
María Isabel Granda Larco was born on 3 September 1920, in a copper mining area in the region of Apurímac. She began singing at 12 years old, in the school choir at the exclusive girl's school Colegio Sophianum, in San Isidro. At this age she sang as a soprano (an operation later gave her the deep voice for which she is remembered). However, she wasn't well known until after her divorce, a scandal in contemporary Lima's conservative Catholic society.
Early 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. 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. She broke the conventional rhythmic structure of the waltz, later broke convention with her poetic cadences as well. Later in her career she wrote songs dedicated to the Chilean Violeta Parra and to Javier Heraud, a Peruvian poet who died in 1968.
Towards the end of her career, Chabuca Granda incorporated Afro-Peruvian rhythms into her work. Afro-Peruvian music, while popular, was not considered "high art" due to the prevalent racism and devaluation of Afro-Peruvian culture. She masterfully blended the suggestive and colorful rhythms into her work, enriching Peruvian popular music.
She died of heart problems in a clinic in Miami, in the United States, in 1983. Her voice and compositions are known far from the borders of her country, and her popularity has introduced the world to the fine and sensitive character of Peruvian music.
Chabuca Granda continued to make her presence felt a decade after her death, when Caetano Veloso used her song, "Fina Estampa", as the title track of an album released in 1994, while her song, "Maria Lando", written with Cesar Calvo, provided the North American breakthrough for Peruvian vocalist Susana Baca the following year.
Granda's song "La Flor De La Canela" has become an anthem for the city of Lima. Granda worked with a lengthy list of influential guitarists including Oscar Aviles, Martin Torres, Lucho Gonzalez, Alvaro Lagos, and Felix Casaverde.
Cardo O Ceniza
Chabuca Granda Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Como sera mi piel junto a tu piel
Cardo o ceniza
Como sera
Si he de fundir mi espacio frente al tuyo
Como sera tu cuerpo al recorrerme
Y como mi corazon si estoy de muerte
Se quebrara mi voz cuando se apague
De no poderte hablar en el oido
Y quemara mi boca salivada
De la sed que me queme si me besas
De la sed que me queme si me besas
Como sera el gemido y como el grito
Al escapar mi vida entre la tuya
Y como el letargo al que me entregue
Cuando adormezca el sueno entre tu sueno
Han de ser breves mis siestas
Mis esteros despiertan con tus rios
Pero, pero…
Pero como seran mis despertares
Cada vez que despierte avergonzada
Tanto amor y avergonzada
The song "Cardo O Ceniza" by Chabuca Granda is a beautiful and poignant love poem. In the beginning of the song, the singer wonders about what it would feel like to be with their lover - how their skin would feel next to each other. The next line, "Cardo o ceniza," which translates to "Thistle or ash," represents the duality of love. Love can be prickly like thistles, or it can burn out like ashes. The singer is unsure of which it will be with their lover.
The second stanza talks about the physical and emotional fusion that will happen between the singer and their lover. They wonder what their lover's body will feel like as they explore it, and how their own heart will react to the intimacy. They mention the possibility of dying in their lover's arms, which adds to the intensity of the emotions described in this stanza.
The final stanza describes the after-effects of being with the lover. The singer acknowledges that their sleep will be brief because they will wake up with their lover on their mind. They also add a touch of vulnerability by admitting that they will feel embarrassed by the amount of love they have for their lover. Overall, the song expresses the depth and complexity of love in a beautiful and lyrical way.
Line by Line Meaning
Como sera mi piel junto a tu piel
How will my skin feel against yours?
Como sera mi piel junto a tu piel
How will our skins compare?
Cardo o ceniza
Thorny or ashen
Como sera
How it will be
Si he de fundir mi espacio frente al tuyo
If I have to melt my space in front of yours
Como sera tu cuerpo al recorrerme
How will your body feel as I explore it
Y como mi corazon si estoy de muerte
And how will my heart feel if I'm dying
Mi corazon si estoy de muerte
My heart if I'm dying
Se quebrara mi voz cuando se apague
My voice will break when it goes out
De no poderte hablar en el oido
Not being able to talk to you in your ear
Y quemara mi boca salivada
And my salivating mouth will burn
De la sed que me queme si me besas
From the thirst that will burn me if you kiss me
Como sera el gemido y como el grito
How will be the moaning and how the scream
Al escapar mi vida entre la tuya
As my life escapes into yours
Y como el letargo al que me entregue
And how the lethargy will take me over
Cuando adormezca el sueno entre tu sueno
When I fall asleep in the middle of your dreams
Han de ser breves mis siestas
My naps will be brief
Mis esteros despiertan con tus rios
My streams wake up with your rivers
Pero, pero…
But, but...
Pero como seran mis despertares
But how will my awakenings be
Cada vez que despierte avergonzada
Every time I wake up embarrassed
Tanto amor y avergonzada
So much love and ashamed
Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Brunosbeto
Sou brasileiro e descobri Chabuca Granda agora a pouco. Lamento profundamente por não haver tido a oportunidade de conhecer antes sua voz e sua música. Que artista! 🇧🇷❤️🇵🇪🎶
@luisedwinllactasmendez4348
Nunca es tarde para conocer lo bueno de la vida . Saludos hermano Brasileño pueblo querido para nosotros los Peruanos.
@laurentinapaz2562
Mucha sutileza en su voz ! Y su canto ..me gustó muchísimo !! ❤
@rosamariluz793
Que elegante y sensual manera de explicar el encuentro amatorio de un hombre y una mujer.
@joss3653
Q bello es el landó peruano
@rickvazquez7030
Grande. El canto latinoamericano, un magno tema. Gracias Chabuca.
@beatsound38
Chabuca compuso está canción en homenaje a Violeta Parra. La canción trata de ese momento en que Violeta se enamoró apasionadamente de un joven quenista suizo.
@susuuane
Que interesante!
@manuelramonoviedotejada4503
No está acreditado mi obra registros históricos
Estos chileno colgándose de fama externa. Plop
@faloperosdecentes3924
Recién rstoy conociendo a chabuca. Es hernosa