Francisco Gabilondo Soler
Encyclopedia
Francisco Gabilondo Soler (October 6, 1907, Orizaba
, Veracruz
– December 14, 1990, Texcoco
, State of Mexico) was a Mexican composer and performer of children's songs. He recorded and performed those songs under the name of Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor ("Cri-Cri: The Little Singing Cricket").
and Hans Christian Andersen
, as well as the adventure stories of such writers as Jules Verne
and Emilio Salgari
. He also taught himself to play the pianola. In 1928, he entered the National Observatory of Mexico
to study astronomy
but, unfortunately, his studies were cut short by a lack of resources. Before dedicating himself to music full-time, he practiced boxing
, bullfighting
and swimming
. He also worked for a time as a linotypist
.
When he was 25 years old, he began performing as a professional musician, interpreting humorous subjects of his inspiration. At first he played in public bath houses. He entered the new radio field to become one of the main figures in the "Golden Age of Mexican Radio," beginning with humorous and social criticism programs, using the sobriquet El Guasón del Teclado (The Joker of the Keyboard). He used the experiences of his childhood to write some children's songs, and on October 15, 1934, he appeared, for the first time, on Radio Station XEW
in Mexico City, singing many of the songs he had previously written. This marked the first performance in his persona as 'Cri-Cri'. The first songs to be played were "El ratón vaquero," "Los mosquitos trompeteros," "Negrito Sandía," "Cucurumbé" and "La Muñeca fea.".
Between 1941 and 1944 he served in the Mexican merchant marine travelling around South America. He returned to Radio Station XEW
in 1944 and continued his shows there for the next 28 years. He retired in 1962
Despite never finishing his astronomical studies, he maintained a lifelong passion for the field, being inducted into the Sociedad Astronómica de México (Astronomical Society of Mexico) and having an observatory built in Tultepec
. A film about his life was made in 1963 called Cri-Cri, el grillito cantor starring Ignacio López Tarso
and Marga López
.
In 1984, he was honored in a special ceremony dedicated to him, where he was just accompanied by the piano. Francisco Gabilondo Soler “The Singing Cricket”, died on December 14, 1990, of cardiac disease, at the age of 83 years.
music, always employing remarkably imaginative orchestration and rhythm. Cri-Cri's songs, of which he wrote both the music and the lyrics, became fables of sorts that had both an educational and an entertainment value. Some of his songs became so popular over the decades that a few of his characters have become forever engrained in Mexican popular culture, such as "La muñeca fea." This translates to "The Ugly Doll", a song that tells the story of an old broken doll who is sadly forgotten in an attic and is befriended by a mouse. Cri-Cri was a historically unique musician due to the multi-generational endurance of his songs and lyrics.
At first he did not write children’s songs, but he soon realized that most of his fans were children, so he decided to concentrate his efforts on writing songs for children. Gabilondo Soler composed a total of 210 songs, of which three are unaccounted for. Almost all his songs are stories that teach values to children. He had the tendency to give animals and things human-like characteristics, and wrote songs about dolls, animals and toys who had something special about them that separated them from the rest.
On October 15, 1934 he performed on the XEW radio for the first time, singing his own songs. "CRI-CRI" the singing cricket was born that day. On 1944 Gabilondo Soler, created his own radio show on XEW where he played his songs for people of all ages.
Gabilondo's songs have also been recorded by opera singer Plácido Domingo
, French singer Mireille Mathieu
, and Argentine singer Libertad Lamarque
, among other world-famous performers.
He recorded Cri-Cri, El Grillito Cantor (1956), Homenaje a Cri-Cri (1957), Mas Canciones del Grillito Cantor (1958), Los Amigos de Cri-Cri (1959), Cuentos y Canciones de Cri-Cri (1963), Todo el Año con Cri-Cri (1963) 30 Aniversario de Cri-Cri (1964), Conejo Blas a Dónde Vas (1964) and several other collections of his songs.
In 1979, "El Chavo" paid tribute to Francisco Soler with the song "Gracias Cri Cri".
Some songs performed by Cri-Cri:
prepared a show based on his work. The choreography
uses his most representative songs, and the scenes are filled with images of the characters from songs such as "El ratón vaquero" (The cowboy mouse), "Los mosquitos trompeteros" (The mosquito trumpeters) and "La muñeca fea" (The ugly doll). This homage to Cri Cri was set to run through 2008.
Orizaba
Orizaba is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small...
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
– December 14, 1990, Texcoco
Texcoco, Mexico State
Texcoco is a city and municipality located in the northeast portion of Mexico State, 25 km northeast of Mexico City. In the pre-Hispanic era, this was a major Aztec city on the shores of Lake Texcoco. After the Conquest, the city was initially the second most important after Mexico City,...
, State of Mexico) was a Mexican composer and performer of children's songs. He recorded and performed those songs under the name of Cri-Cri: El Grillito Cantor ("Cri-Cri: The Little Singing Cricket").
Biography
Gabilondo was born in the city of Orizaba, Veracruz. During his childhood he read the stories of the Brothers GrimmBrothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
and Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, as well as the adventure stories of such writers as Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
and Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari
Emilio Salgari was an Italian writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction.For over a century, his novels were mandatory reading for generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than that of Dante. Today...
. He also taught himself to play the pianola. In 1928, he entered the National Observatory of Mexico
National Astronomical Observatory (Mexico)
Mexico's National Astronomical Observatory was first established on the balcony of Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City in 1878. It was later moved to Tacubaya, then on the outskirts of the city, a location remembered in the Observatorio station of the Mexico City Metro, situated nearby...
to study astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
but, unfortunately, his studies were cut short by a lack of resources. Before dedicating himself to music full-time, he practiced boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. He also worked for a time as a linotypist
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
.
When he was 25 years old, he began performing as a professional musician, interpreting humorous subjects of his inspiration. At first he played in public bath houses. He entered the new radio field to become one of the main figures in the "Golden Age of Mexican Radio," beginning with humorous and social criticism programs, using the sobriquet El Guasón del Teclado (The Joker of the Keyboard). He used the experiences of his childhood to write some children's songs, and on October 15, 1934, he appeared, for the first time, on Radio Station XEW
XEW-AM
XEW-AM is a radio station in Mexico City, Mexico. It is branded as W-Radio and its slogan is La voz de la América Latina desde México or "The voice of Latin America from Mexico."It began regular broadcasts at 20:00 CST on 18 September 1930...
in Mexico City, singing many of the songs he had previously written. This marked the first performance in his persona as 'Cri-Cri'. The first songs to be played were "El ratón vaquero," "Los mosquitos trompeteros," "Negrito Sandía," "Cucurumbé" and "La Muñeca fea.".
Between 1941 and 1944 he served in the Mexican merchant marine travelling around South America. He returned to Radio Station XEW
XEW-AM
XEW-AM is a radio station in Mexico City, Mexico. It is branded as W-Radio and its slogan is La voz de la América Latina desde México or "The voice of Latin America from Mexico."It began regular broadcasts at 20:00 CST on 18 September 1930...
in 1944 and continued his shows there for the next 28 years. He retired in 1962
Despite never finishing his astronomical studies, he maintained a lifelong passion for the field, being inducted into the Sociedad Astronómica de México (Astronomical Society of Mexico) and having an observatory built in Tultepec
Tultepec
Tultepec is a city and municipality located in State of Mexico, Mexico. It lies directly north of the Federal District in the northeastern part of the State of Mexico. making it is part of the Greater Mexico City urban area. The name comes from Náhuatl meaning 'hill of the tule plant'...
. A film about his life was made in 1963 called Cri-Cri, el grillito cantor starring Ignacio López Tarso
Ignacio López Tarso
Ignacio López Tarso is a Mexican actor of stage, film and television. He is considered as one of the country's finest actors.-Early life:...
and Marga López
Marga López
Marga López , born Catalina Margarita López Ramos, was an Argentine-born Mexican actress. Born in Argentina, she later acquired Mexican nationality.-Biography:...
.
In 1984, he was honored in a special ceremony dedicated to him, where he was just accompanied by the piano. Francisco Gabilondo Soler “The Singing Cricket”, died on December 14, 1990, of cardiac disease, at the age of 83 years.
Style
Francisco Gabilondo Soler was able to mix a variety of styles in his songs, including the fox trot, tango (such as in the song “Che Araña”), U.S. country music( “El Raton Vaquero”) and Mexican rancheraRanchera
Ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. Ranchera today is also played...
music, always employing remarkably imaginative orchestration and rhythm. Cri-Cri's songs, of which he wrote both the music and the lyrics, became fables of sorts that had both an educational and an entertainment value. Some of his songs became so popular over the decades that a few of his characters have become forever engrained in Mexican popular culture, such as "La muñeca fea." This translates to "The Ugly Doll", a song that tells the story of an old broken doll who is sadly forgotten in an attic and is befriended by a mouse. Cri-Cri was a historically unique musician due to the multi-generational endurance of his songs and lyrics.
Career
Francisco Gabilondo Soler was 25 years old when he started his professional musical career.At first he did not write children’s songs, but he soon realized that most of his fans were children, so he decided to concentrate his efforts on writing songs for children. Gabilondo Soler composed a total of 210 songs, of which three are unaccounted for. Almost all his songs are stories that teach values to children. He had the tendency to give animals and things human-like characteristics, and wrote songs about dolls, animals and toys who had something special about them that separated them from the rest.
On October 15, 1934 he performed on the XEW radio for the first time, singing his own songs. "CRI-CRI" the singing cricket was born that day. On 1944 Gabilondo Soler, created his own radio show on XEW where he played his songs for people of all ages.
Gabilondo's songs have also been recorded by opera singer Plácido 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...
, French singer Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.-Childhood to early...
, and Argentine singer Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque was an Argentine-Mexican actress and singer. Originally from Argentina, she reached fame throughout Latin America while living in Mexico and working in Mexican cinema.-Career:...
, among other world-famous performers.
He recorded Cri-Cri, El Grillito Cantor (1956), Homenaje a Cri-Cri (1957), Mas Canciones del Grillito Cantor (1958), Los Amigos de Cri-Cri (1959), Cuentos y Canciones de Cri-Cri (1963), Todo el Año con Cri-Cri (1963) 30 Aniversario de Cri-Cri (1964), Conejo Blas a Dónde Vas (1964) and several other collections of his songs.
In 1979, "El Chavo" paid tribute to Francisco Soler with the song "Gracias Cri Cri".
Songs
His songs have been translated into many languages such as French, English and Russian, among others. More than songs, Francisco Gabilondo Soler created stories with music, making children all over the world dream with them.Some songs performed by Cri-Cri:
- Abuelito
- Acuarela
- Al Agua Todos
- Barquito de Nuez
- Batallon de Plomo
- Bombon I
- Caminito de la escuela
- Campanita y Juan Pestañas
- Canción de las Brujas
- Cáncion de Reyes
- La Negrita Cucurumbe
- La Marcha de las Letras
- Orquesta de Animales
- La Patita
- El Chorrito
- Cochinitos Dormilones
- Casamiento de los Palomos
- El Comal y la Olla
- La Merienda
- Negrito Bailarín
- Papá Elefante
Miscellaneous
In 2007, for the centennial celebration of his birth, the dance company at the Palacio de Bellas ArtesPalacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
prepared a show based on his work. The choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
uses his most representative songs, and the scenes are filled with images of the characters from songs such as "El ratón vaquero" (The cowboy mouse), "Los mosquitos trompeteros" (The mosquito trumpeters) and "La muñeca fea" (The ugly doll). This homage to Cri Cri was set to run through 2008.