Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices (known as Juan Arvizu; May 22, 1900 – November 19, 1985), was an acclaimed lyric tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of the Latin American bolero and tango on the international concert stage, on the radio and in film. He was widely noted for his interpretations of the works of Agustin Lara and María Grever and was nicknamed "The Tenor With the Silken Voice".
Biography Early years Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices was born in Querétaro, Mexico, to Pedro Arvizu and Trinidad Santelices. As a child, he assisted his father as a radio-telegraph operator. His mother encouraged him to study vocalization, solfège and harmony while he sang in a children's choir. By the age of 22 he was accepted into the Conservatorio Nacional de Música (Mexico) in Mexico City, where he continued his studies.Agustin Lara - A Cultural Biography Wood, Andrew Grant. Oxford University Press. New York. 2014 p. 34 Juan Arvizu - Biography on books.google.com His artistic abilities attracted the attention of several music teachers including José Pierson, who had instructed such noted vocalists as Jorge Negrete, José Mojica, Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, Pedro Vargas and Juan Pulido. Arvizu first appeared with Pierson's opera company while performing on stage with the noted soprano Ángeles Ottein and Consuelo Escobar.Hernán Restrepo-Duque: «Notas. Prohibited in the Voice of Juan Arvizu. RCA Victor. Medellín: Sonolux.
At the age of 24, Arvizu made his debut at the Teatro Esperanza Iris with a role in La sonámbula by Vincenzo Bellini.Juan Arvizu Biography - Juan Arvizu debut at Teatro Esperanza Iris on todotango.com As a member of the Consuelo Escobar de Castor Opera Company he continued in this role and traveled abroad. He visited New York City during this time and continued to augment his operatic repertoire to include the Argentine tango and the works of María Grever and Alfonso Esparza Oteo. By 1927, Arvizu returned to Mexico and appeared in another operatic production at the Teatro Esperanza Iris of Giacomo Meyerbeer's work Dinorah.Agustin Lara - A Cultural Biography Wood, Andrew Grant. Oxford University Press. New York. 2014 p. 34 Juan Arvizu on books.google.com
While Arvizu's natural vocal qualities and the power of his operatic voice attracted the attention of the public, he faced financial obstacles in his professional endeavors at this time. With this in mind he increased his repertoire to include the popular tango and initiated appearances in cafes and cinemas. Pepe Cantillo, who directed one of the most famous music revues in Mexico soon engaged Arvizu.Hernán Restrepo-Duque: Notas. The songs of “Ahora seremos felices” and other hits of those days. RCA Victor. Medellín: Sonolux.Juan Arvizu - Biographie - Vintagemusic.fm Juan Arvizu performs in music revue of Pepe Cantillo on vintagemusic.fm His performances in the opera house also attracted the attention of leading figures in the phonographic industry. At this time the popular music field welcomed such noted operatic artists as Margarita Cueto, Pedro Vargas, Juan Pulido, Carlos Mejía, Carlos Almenar Otero, Alfredo Sadel and Tito Schipa among others. Juan Arvizu was no exception, entrusting his voice to the Brunswick record label in 1928. His first recording of the song Varita de nardo by Joaquin Pardavé was well received among audiences. The RCA Victor record label soon included him on their staff, thereby beginning one of the most prolific careers in popular music. The composer Jorge del Moral entrusted his composition Por Unos Ojos to Arvizu, whose vocal versatility and musical qualities earned him the nickname "The Tenor With the Silken Voice".Agustin Lara - A Cultural Biography Wood, Andrew Grant. Oxford University Press. New York. 2014 p. 34 Juan Arvizu- "The Tenor With The Silken Voice" on books.google.comTodo Tango - Juan Arvizu - nicknames El Tenor de la Voice de Seda --The Tenor with the Silken Voice on todotango.comJuan Arvizu - Biographie - "The Tenor With The Silken Voice on www.vintagemusic.fm
International recognition Based upon these achievements, Radio XEW in Mexico invited Arvizu in 1930 to inaugurate its first broadcast in 1930.Juan Arvizu - Biography in Todo Tango - Juan Arvizu inaugurates Radio XEW on tototango.comAgustin Lara - A Cultural Biography Wood, Andrew Grant. Oxford University Press. New York. 2014 p. 56-57 Juan Arvizu and Agustin Lara collaborate on the launch of radio XEW on books.google.com This would not be the only time that the "Tenor With the Silken Voice" would receive such recognition. In fact, Arvizu had the honor of initiating broadcasts on several other international radio stations. For example, in 1935, he inaugurated a show on LR1 - Radio El Mundo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Juan Arvizu - Biography - Vintagemusic.fm Juan Arvizu inaugurates Radio LR1 in vintagemusic.fm Years later in 1942 he premiered with La Cadena de Las Amėricas of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and Voice of America on the Viva América show in New York, in collaboration with the orchestra conductor Alfredo Antonini, the Puerto Rican vocalist Elsa Miranda, the Argentine composer Terig Tucci, the Mexican American vocalist Eva Garza and the concert accordionist John Serry Sr.'The New York Times", May 5, 1941, Pg. 32 (Juan Arvizu photographed with the CBS Pan American Orchestra in New York)Media Sound & Culture in Latin America & The Caribbean. Editores: Bronfman, Alejandra & Wood, Andrew Grant.University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2012 Pg. 49 Books.google.com Vea la pág. 49The Pan American - Volume 2 1941, p. 46, p. 55- "Latin American Ballad Singer Comes For Radio" Juan Arvizu on books.google.comNewsweek Volume 17 1941 p. 68 Juan Arvizu recruited by Edmund Chester for CBS radio on google.books.comDissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 155-157 Eva Garza and Viva America on google.books.com In 1941 he also collaborated with the Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra in live performance on the radio for WABC in New York City.Andre Kostelanetz on Records and On The Air - A Discography and Radio Log North, James A. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Plymouth UK 2011 p. 317 on books.google.com By 1945 his performances on the CBS network were heard by audiences in twenty Latin American nations and were rebroadcast for members of America's Armed forces on the Armed Forces Radio Service.Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-155 OCIAA (Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs), FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America, La Cadena de las Americas on google.books.comThe Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service Mackenzie, Harry. Greenwood Press, London, 1999, p. 33 Recordings by Alfredo Antonini with Juan Arvizu and Nestor Mesta Chayres on the Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service during 1945-1949 on Google Books His performances with the CBS Pan American Orchestra were also noteworthy for helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States during the 1940s.Media Sound & Culture in Latin America & The Caribbean. Editores: Bronfman, Alejandra & Wood, Andrew Grant.University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2012 Pg. 49 Juan Arvizu, CBS Pan American Orchestra & Latin American music Books.google.com But one of his greatest achievements was to "discover" one of Mexico's leading composers, Agustín Lara in 1929.Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures Editors: Daniel Balderston, Mike Gonzalez, Ana M. López. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London p. 833 , "Agustin Lara" biography - on books.google.comEl Sigo De Torrén - 1970: Fallece el cantautor mexicano Agustín Lara, 'El Flaco de Oro Agustin Lara Obituary and Juan Arvizu on elsiglodetorreon.com
During the 1920s and 1930s, the tango was very popular in Mexico. Arvizu premiered many of these songs in Pepe Cantillo's music revue.Juan Arvizu - Biographie - Vintagemusic.fm Juan Arvizu premiers songs in Pepe Cantillo's music revue on vintagemusic.com While searching for an accompanist, the tenor agreed to hire an unknown bohemian pianist at the ordinary Café Salambó. That pianist was Agustín Lara.Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures Editors: Daniel Balderston, Mike Gonzalez, Ana M. López. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London p. 833 , "Agustin Lara" -biography - Juan Arvizu "Discovers" Agustín Lara on books.google.com At first, Agustín Lara was a tango composer, but his compositions lacked the proper accompaniment of the tango orchestra. As a result, his works were classified within the "creole song" genre. Arvizu was the first singer to champion Lara's compositions through his performances in cinemas and on the radio.Golpe aL Corazón: Tangos y Boleros Carlos Joaquin Ossa, Planeta, 1997 p. 32 Juan Arvizu on books.google.comWhat Boleros Tell: The Story of 100 beautiful boleros, their composer and their best performers Hernán Restrepo Duque. Centro de Estudios Musicales, 1992, p. 33 Juan Arvizu - first interpreter of Lara who premiers his works on radio XEW on google.books.com The performances of the Lara-Arvizu duo on radio XEW were well received by the public.Juan Arvizu Biographie - Vintagemusic.fm Juan Arvizu and Agustín Alara and the tango history on vintagemusic.fm Along with other leading vocalists of the time such as Pedro Vargas and Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, Arvizu helped to popularize several of Lara's greatest compositions.From Tejano to Tango: Essays on Latin American Popular Music Editor: Walter Aaron Clark. Routledge, New York, 2002 p. 157 "From Tejano To Tango - Essays on Latin American Popular Music - Époco de oro - Juan Arvizu helps popularize Agustín Lara, see page 157 on google.books.comAgustin Lara - A Cultural Biography Wood, Andrew Grant. Oxford University Press. New York. 2014 p. 56-57 Juan Arvizu and Ortiz Tirado help to promote the work of Agustin Lara on books.google.com They included such works as: Aventura, Concha Nacar, Cuando Vuelvas, Enamorada, Granada, Santa and Tus Pupilas.Juan Arvizu Biography on vintagemnsuc.fmJuan Arvizu - Granada Juan Arvizu performs with Orchestra on youtubeJuan Arvizu and Orchestra Discography including "Granada" on "Discography of American Historical Recordings" - University of California at Santa Barbara - Library - Juan Arvizu Discography on adp.library.ucsb.edu
Juan Arvizu achieved international recognition in the 1930s. By 1935, the singer made his first international tour and arrived in Buenos Aires for the launching of the LR1 Radio El Mundo.Juan Arvizu - Biographie on vintagemusic.fm While his stay in Buenos Aires was scheduled for only two months, it lasted for over a year and a half.Todo Tango - Juan Arvizu Biography of Juan Arvizu by Nestor Pinson on todotango.com It was a triumphant season for Juan Arvizu. This feat would be repeated years later when he finished his contract in New York with RCA Victor. He stayed in Argentina for 18 years and launched many concert tours abroad from this venue.
The zenith of Juan Arvizu's career emerged in 1944. In Argentina alone, the singer earned $60,000. Audiences flocked to the stages and concert venues where Juan Arvizu appeared.Juan Arvizu Biographie on vintagemusic.fm He lived for several years in Chile while performing bolerosThe Garland Encyclopedia of Music: South America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Editors Dale A. Danield E. Sheehy Olsen Garland Publishing Co. 1998 p. 372 on books.google.com as well as in Colombia.