La Niña de los Peines facts for kids
Pastora Pavón Cruz (born in Seville, Spain, on February 10, 1890 – died November 26, 1969), was a famous flamenco singer. Many people think she was the most important female flamenco singer of the 20th century. She was known by her stage name, La Niña de los Peines, which means "The Girl of the Combs."
Pastora came from a family of talented flamenco artists. Her brothers, Arturo Pavón and Tomás Pavón, were also important singers. Her nephew, Arturo Pavón, was the first flamenco pianist. Pastora and Tomás, along with another singer named Manuel Torre, inspired many younger flamenco artists. These younger artists, like Antonio Mairena and Fosforito, helped bring back traditional flamenco styles in the 1950s and 1970s.
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Her Life and Early Career
Pastora was born in a well-known area of Seville called Alameda de Hércules. She started singing for the public when she was only 8 years old at the Seville Spring Fair. Later, she sang at a place called Café de la Marina in Madrid. This is where she got her nickname, La Niña de los Peines. She often sang a special part in a flamenco style called tangos that went like this:
Peinate tú con mis peines
Mis peines son de canela
This means:
Comb with my combs
My combs are made of cinnamon
Pastora never learned to read or write. She only learned to sing well when she was older. Her family needed money, so she began singing professionally at a place called Taberna de Ceferino in Seville. She then spent time performing in Madrid and Bilbao. In Bilbao, she was too young to sing in public. Instead, she posed for the painter Ignacio Zuloaga.
After returning to Andalusia, she performed in many cafés cantante (flamenco cafes) in cities like Jerez, Seville, and Málaga. In 1910, she made her first music recordings. By 1920, the Teatro Romea was paying her more money than any other artist. After this, she went on many tours all over Spain.
Important Moments in Her Career
In 1922, Pastora took part in a famous music festival in Granada called the Concurso de Cante Jondo. This festival was organized by famous artists like Manuel de Falla and Federico García Lorca. They wanted to help flamenco music become popular again. Pastora performed as a professional singer alongside other great artists. She was also chosen to be a judge for the contest for non-professional singers.
Throughout her career, she met and performed with many legendary flamenco singers from the "Golden Age" of flamenco. These included Antonio Chacón and Manuel Torre. In 1922, she also met Federico García Lorca, a famous poet. He once said about her voice:
"This woman's voice is amazing. It breaks all the rules of singing schools. When she seems to be out of tune, she is actually perfectly in tune. This is because of the special magic of her style and the passion she puts into her singing."
In 1931, Pastora married another flamenco singer, Pepe Pinto. After the Spanish Civil War, she returned to the stage. She performed in many flamenco shows with other artists. She then took a break for a few years. Later, she came back with a show called España y su Cantaora (Spain and her singer) with her husband. Critics loved this show. After touring for a few months, she retired again.
In 1961, she was honored in Córdoba. Many famous flamenco artists, including Antonio Mairena, took part in this event. In 1968, a monument was built in her honor in her old neighborhood in Seville. In her last three years, she was fully retired due to a condition that affected her memory. She passed away in 1969, shortly after her husband. That same year, singer Antonio Mairena released an album called Honores a la Niña de los Peines to honor her. In 1996, her voice was declared an "Asset of Cultural Interest" by the Andalusian government.
Her Artistic Impact
Pastora was a complete artist. She could sing all the different palos (styles) of flamenco perfectly. She was especially good at siguiriyas, and she helped keep several old styles of siguiriyas alive. She also directly learned and passed on the soléa style of La Serneta. She made many great recordings of other soleá styles too.
People recognized her amazing talent in tangos and tientos from a young age. As early as 1908, a newspaper said she was the best singer for tangos. They described her voice as beautiful and her style as "delicious." Some even said she seemed to be "crying" when she sang. Many experts consider her the top figure and a creative genius in tangos.
Her name is also strongly connected to the peteneras and the bambera. The bambera was a folk song that she helped turn into a true flamenco palo. She was also one of the best singers of saetas in history.
Pastora was very important in changing the garrotín into a flamenco style. She also gave a big push to the bulerías, and was known as the "Unrivalled queen of bulerías."
Critics also praise her for her importance in other palos like malagueñas, tarantas, cartageneras, and granaínas. She had a strong impact on these styles and even created her own malagueña.
Some critics felt she sometimes followed popular trends during the "theatrical" period of flamenco. She recorded songs that some traditionalists didn't like and performed in theater shows. However, she always kept singing the more traditional flamenco songs, which make up most of her recordings.
Pastora was a link between the old flamenco of the 1800s and the return to traditional styles later on. She kept many old songs and styles alive that might have disappeared. However, she had her own ideas about how flamenco styles should be preserved. She believed that songs were outlines for singers to improvise and create, not fixed pieces.
What People Said About Her
Many people had great things to say about La Niña de los Peines:
- "Pastora Pavón was a revolutionary in flamenco singing. She connected the old traditions with new ideas."
- "When she sang with duende (a special flamenco magic), she was like a dark, powerful angel who went beyond all limits."
- "Pastora is the perfect example of flamenco singing, like Bach was for classical music. Geniuses like her appear only once in a while."
- "Among women, I have never known an artist like Pastora. I think it will take centuries for someone equal to her to be born."
- "It's certain that there has never been a more talented and knowledgeable singer than Pastora. Nobody has had her unique style."
- "Pastora Pavón Cruz, the amazing Niña de los Peines, was probably the greatest genius in the history of flamenco singing."
- "Everyone who knows about flamenco agrees that she is the greatest female singer to this day."
Her Music Recordings
Here are some of her music collections:
Complete Works
- La Niña de los peines, Patrimonio de Andalucía, Fonotrón, 2004 — This collection has all her songs recorded between 1910 and 1950, on 13 CDs.
Partial Collections
- La Niña de los peines, voz de estaño fundido, Sonifolk, Madrid, 1997
- La voz de interes cultural: La Niña de los Peines, Colección Quejío, EMI-Odeón, Madrid, 1997
See also
In Spanish: La Niña de los Peines para niños
