Sosa was born in Tucumán, a northwestern province of Argentina, of mestizo descent from French and Amerindian (Quechuan) ancestry. In 1950, at age fifteen, she won a singing competition organized by a local radio station and was given a contract to perform for two months.
Sosa and her first husband Manuel Oscar Matus were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement (which was called nuevo cancionero in Argentina). Her first record was Canciones con Fundamento (Songs with Fundament), a collection of Argentine folk songs.
In 1967, Sosa toured with great success the United States and Europe. In subsequent years, she performed and recorded extensively, broadening her repertoire to include material from throughout Latin America.
In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana (South American Cantata) and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean poet Violeta Parra.
After the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata (Buenos Aires) in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, and the attending crowd was arrested. Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.
Sosa returned to Argentina in 1982, several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Falklands War, and gave a series of concerts at the Opera theater in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller.
In the following years, Sosa continued to tour both in Argentina and abroad, performing in such venues as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Mogador in París.
Sosa's repertoire continued to broaden, and she made recordings in various styles. She collaborated frequently with Argentine musicians such as León Gieco, Charly García, Antonio Tarragó Ros, Rodolfo Mederos and Fito Páez, and other Latin American artists such as Milton Nascimento and Silvio Rodríguez.
Sosa participated in a 2001 production of the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez.
Mercedes Sosa's website(in Spanish)
Sanctus
Mercedes Sosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Santo santo santo
Señor dios del universo
Santo santo santo
Santo santo santo
Señor dios del universo
Llenos estan los cielos
Y la tierra de tu gloria
Llenos estan los cielos
Y la tierra de tu gloria
Osana en las alturas
Bendito el que viene
En el nombre del señor
Osana en las alturas
The lyrics of Mercedes Sosa's song "Sanctus" are a celebration of the divine and a call for reverence. The repetition of the word "santo" (holy) emphasizes the sacredness of God and the grandeur of the universe he created. The phrase "Señor dios del universo" (Lord God of the universe) recognizes God's authority and power over all creation. The second stanza emphasizes how the heavens and the earth are filled with God's glory, highlighting the extent of his divine presence. The final stanza praises God with the phrase "Osana en las alturas" (Hosanna in the highest), a traditional Hebrew exclamation of worship that recognizes God as the source of all salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Santo santo santo
Holy holy holy
Santo santo santo
Holy holy holy
Señor dios del universo
Lord God of the universe
Santo santo santo
Holy holy holy
Santo santo santo
Holy holy holy
Señor dios del universo
Lord God of the universe
Santo
Holy
Llenos estan los cielos
The heavens are full
Y la tierra de tu gloria
And the earth of your glory
Llenos estan los cielos
The heavens are full
Y la tierra de tu gloria
And the earth of your glory
Osana en las alturas
Hosanna in the highest
Bendito el que viene
Blessed is he who comes
En el nombre del señor
In the name of the Lord
Osana en las alturas
Hosanna in the highest
Contributed by Grace O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mister Morne Van der Berg
this is by far the most beautiful rendition of the Sanctus EVER! But I do recommend listening with earphones
maria belen salgado
Eternamente bellisimo.La voz de Mercedes es unica e irrepetible.El arreglo musical es magnifico Las voces del coro realmente parecen angeles .
Celso A. Filho
Belíssimo.
casaroful1
Hosanna...Mercedes sabe cómo elevarte el alma..Gracias América Latina por regalar al mundo tanto talento
fernando busco
Divino! sublime ,maravilhoso!! Obrigado!!!!
Nadia Laribi
Misa Criolla is a piece of music I discovered when I was a teenager. In the late sixties, my brother brought back from Brazil, where he had spent 3 years of his life, a wonderful vinyl of religious music sang by South American monks. I fell in love with ''Misa Criolla''. It reminds me of my brother so much. May he rest in peace.
aizlsd1021
Hermoso....Gracias.
malu
hermosoo