The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.
In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:
Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)
Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez
In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:
Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce
Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":
Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara
Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":
Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso
Other members in the history of the group:
Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra
relato 8
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
para decir con mesura:
aquí cambiamos de tema
para hablar de la Cultura.
The lyrics of Inti-Illimani's song "Relato 8" are about changing the topic from personal feelings to discussing broader cultural issues. The opening line of "De nuevo abriré la boca" translates to "Once again, I will open my mouth," indicating a continuation of the singer's previous sentiments. However, they go on to say "para decir con mesura: aquí cambiamos de tema para hablar de la Cultura," which translates to "to say with measure: here we change the subject to talk about Culture." The use of the word "mesura" indicates a sense of caution and thoughtfulness in the singer's approach to discussing culture.
The second half of the song's lyrics focuses on the importance of cultural preservation and the danger of losing cultural identity in a globalized world. The line "siendo lo nuestro patrimonio cargado de futuro y de vida," which means "being our heritage loaded with future and life," emphasizes the idea that cultural heritage is not simply a relic of the past, but a valuable resource for the future. The song's message is a call to action, urging listeners to remember and cherish their cultural roots.
Line by Line Meaning
De nuevo abriré la boca
Once again, I will speak up and share my thoughts
para decir con mesura:
But this time, I will do so in a measured and thoughtful way
aquí cambiamos de tema
We are shifting our focus to a new topic
para hablar de la Cultura.
Specifically, we will discuss the importance and significance of culture
Contributed by Colton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fanny
on Hermanochay
Hola, mi padre tenia un grupo de musica andina y cantaba esta cancion. Mi padre hoy ya no está y me hubiera gustado entender la letra, no encuentro traducción por ningún lado, alguien sabe la traducción?