He founded, in 1971, the recognized independent record label Ayuí/Tacuabé in order to promote and support valuable Uruguayan musical expressions, along with other musicians like José "Pepe" Guerra, Braulio López, Coriún Aharonián, Myriam Dibarboure, María Teresa Sande and Edgardo Bello,
He has performed the works of Cuban Nueva Trova stars Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés and Brazil's Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo and has worked with Cuban composer and arranger Leo Brouwer. His recordings are widely available, especially "Trópicos" (1972).
Viglietti was imprisoned in 1972 by his own government. He was supported by the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre as an international man of conscience, a voice for peace, and an opponent of the fascism and tyranny that plagued South America in the 1970s. Rumors about possible mistreatment against him forced the authorities to bring him out in front of television cameras to show that, in particular, his hands were fine. However, Viglietti spoke out that his treatment in police custody was much better than what other political prisoners received. He was a peer of the late Chilean poet and folk singer Victor Jara and composer and activist Violeta Parra.
Niña Isabel
Daniel Viglietti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quisiera cantarte, niña,
Una copla de rocío
Que por mis labios brotara
Sangre del corazón mío.
Hoyuelos de tus mejillas,
Donde amanece tu día,
Dichosos de aquellos labios
Niña Isabel,
La del pelo donde duerme la noche,
Un sueño hecho de pureza,
De estrellas, luz del rocío.
Isabel de piel morena,
Dueña del corazón mío.
Tu caminar encendido
De ensueños y de promesas,
Tiene el ritmo de mi zamba
Cuando la tarde se aleja.
Un día junto al camino
Una copla encontrarás,
Si al escucharla sonríes
Tu amor tras ella estará.
Isabel, dulce torrente
En la pena de mi río.
The song "Niña Isabel" by Daniel Viglietti is a sweet and romantic ballad that expresses the singer's admiration and love for a young woman named Isabel. The lyrics are full of poetic phrases and vivid imagery that evoke the beauty and purity of Isabel. The singer wishes to serenade her with a song full of dewdrops and the blood of his heart, and he praises her shimmering beauty with her dimpled cheeks and dark skin. The rhythm of the zamba dance is used to describe how Isabel's energetic and dreamy mannerisms match that of the singer's musical expression. He promises her that if she listens to the song, and smiles, his love will forever be hers.
The song is a timeless classic that celebrates the beauty of love and the pureness of feelings. The lyrics also depict the age-old tradition of Latin American serenading and using music as a way of expressing love for a beloved. The metaphors used in the song highlight the purity of Isabel's character, and how her beauty is both ethereal and grounding for the singer. The use of rhythmic language such as "dulce torrente" (sweet torrent) and "ritmo de mi zamba" (the rhythm of my zamba) is captivating and moving as it invites the listener to imagine the beauty and joy of the singer's love for Isabel.
Line by Line Meaning
Quisiera cantarte, niña, Una copla de rocío Que por mis labios brotara Sangre del corazón mío.
I wish to sing to you, young lady, a song of dew that would come out of my lips like the blood of my heart.
Hoyuelos de tus mejillas, Donde amanece tu día, Dichosos de aquellos labios Que puedan decirte mía.
The dimples of your cheeks, where your day begins, are blessed by those lips that can call you mine.
Niña Isabel, La del pelo donde duerme la noche, Un sueño hecho de pureza, De estrellas, luz del rocío.
Isabel, the girl whose hair sleeps in the night, a dream made of purity, stars, and the light of dew.
Isabel de piel morena, Dueña del corazón mío. Tu caminar encendido De ensueños y de promesas, Tiene el ritmo de mi zamba Cuando la tarde se aleja.
Isabel with brown skin, the owner of my heart. Your passionate walk filled with dreams and promises, dances to the rhythm of my Zamba when the afternoon fades away.
Un día junto al camino Una copla encontrarás, Si al escucharla sonríes Tu amor tras ella estará.
One day along the way, you will find a song. If you smile as you hear it, your love will be found within it.
Isabel, dulce torrente En la pena de mi río.
Isabel, the sweet stream in the sorrow of my river.
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@andreasalvagno4442
Me emociona siempre escuchar la voz de Viglietti, su guitarra que cala hondo y sus letras que describen a la perfección. Siempre vivo en mi corazón y oídos.
Andrea