Víctor Jara’s life and legacy

Víctor Jara was a chilean musician and composer and one of the most emblematic
representers of the Nueva canción chilena and the latinamerican Canción protesta, both
artistical movements associated to political and social causes. During many years Jara also
worked as theater director, being his career in the theater as important as his career as
musician. Related to the name of Víctor Jara is the mythical also chilean band Quilapayún,
of which he was musical director for three years. During those years and until 1970 he was
also soloist of Peña de los Parra. Here, I briefly focus on his musical development, thus, I
only mention some punctual aspects of his career as theater director.
Related to my personal experience there are some very significant songs. Among them, El
arado and El Lazo. Two songs that canalize the farmer feeling into a very interesting
conception of life and time. This recognition becomes specially interesting as an approach
from which the country’s stories are told. That, taking into account the brief contact that the
country’s experience has with the urban experience. As a conclusión, the synthesis that Jara
does in those two songs are very important in my personal interpretation of the Singer and in
different aspects of life as well.