El Triste is a song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

 written by Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 Roberto Cantoral

Roberto Cantoral

Roberto Cantoral Garcia was a Mexican composer, singer and songwriter. He was known for composing a string of hit Mexican songs, including El Triste, Al Final, La Barca and El Reloj...

. It was performed for the first time on March 25, 1970, at the "Latin Song Festival II" (predecessor of the OTI Festival

OTI Festival

OTI Festival was an annual singing competition, held between 1972 and 2000, among active member countries of the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana .- Venues and Presenters :- Winners :-By country:...

) by the Mexican singer José José

José José

José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...

. (El Triste) El Triste was included on his third studio album

El Triste (album)

El Triste is the title of the second studio album released by Mexican singer José José in 1970.Like its predecessor, this album projected him to internationalization, due to his performance in the "II Festival de la Canción Latina" held on March 25 1970, representing Mexico with the songs "El...

.

General information

The song talks about a person who feels a deep sadness because of the loss of a loved one, which could refer either to the loss of a spouse, a relative or friend, the song does not specify in what sense. The composition turned out to be very attractive both in lyrics and in its music, it catches the attention of the listener from start to finish, due to the rhetoric of the lyrics and its unique melody. "El Triste" is sung by José José on a considerably high tessitura

Tessitura

In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...

, highlighting the power of his voice and his extensive management of respiration. He has said it is one of the most important interpretations that he has given due to the technical difficulty and the impact that the song caused.

Cultural impact

The song and it's interpretation was such a hit, that the audience at the festival demanded that José José had won it, but in the end, even with the impact that his performance caused, he got third place.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQqZ-TstZdo Although "El Triste" did not win the festival it meant the consolidation of José José as a talented singer of international fame, since then is the song that closes most of his presentations. The song became his first number-one single in the Mexico charts in 1970. The song also reached number-one in the Puerto Rican singles chart. "El Triste" became a cultural icon in Mexico, as part of the repertoire of favorite songs of Mexican popular music. After its release at the festival it was immediately recorded in studio along with other new tracks on an LP released in 1970. José José recorded the song again in 1982 under new accompaniment and musical arrangement, and in 1998 in a duet with pianist Raúl di Blasio

Raúl di Blasio

Raúl di Blasio is an Argentine latin jazz and easy listening pianist.- Life :Born in Zapala, Argentina, Raúl Di Blasio showed a great interest in piano at the age of six. After his parents' recommendations that he should study music, he began to pursue piano as a career.Di Blasio practiced piano...

. Some of the performers who have made their version of the song include: Placido Domingo

Plácido Domingo

Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...

, Manuel Mijares

Manuel Mijares

Manuel Mijares , is a popular Spanish-language singer who is billed simply as "Mijares." He launched his career at age 23. He is currently separated from singer/actress Lucero, with whom he has two children.-Biography:He was born in Hospital Español in Mexico City...

, Ximena Sariñana

Ximena Sariñana

Ximena Sariñana Rivera is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre, an adult contemporary pop-rock/vocal jazz album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, including two...

, Eddie Santiago

Eddie Santiago

Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. At a young age, Eddie demonstrated great love for salsa music...

, Vikki Carr

Vikki Carr

Vikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...

, Lucho Gatica

Lucho Gatica

Luis Enrique Gatica Silva, better known as Lucho Gatica, is a Chilean bolero singer, film actor, and television host. It is estimated that Gatica has released more than 90 recordings. He has toured a vast portion of the world, having made concerts in Europe, the Middle East and Asia...

, Charlie Masso

Charlie Masso

Carlos Javier Rivera Masso is a former member of Menudo who joined the band at the height of Menudo's world wide fame. He replaced Rene Farrait and quickly became a fan favorite with his participation on the albums of Es Por Amor and Vamos A Volar, which was the soundtrack of Charlie's first...

, Julieta Venegas

Julieta Venegas

Julieta Venegas Percevault , known professionally as Julieta Venegas, is a Mexican singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer, who sings pop-rock in Spanish. She speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish fluently. She has a twin sister, Yvonne, who is a photographer...

, Kalimba, David Bisbal

David Bisbal

David Bisbal Ferré is a Grammy-winning Spanish pop singer. He gained his initial fame as a runner up on the interactive reality television show Operación Triunfo produced by TJ Hall....

, Cristian Castro

Cristian Castro

Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...

 and Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...

among others.