INTRO

Raquel Meller | home

INTRO

By way of introduction here is a selection of testimonials about Raquel Meller by celebrated individuals who experienced first hand her unique gifts as a

singer and actress.

The Meller mystique

"Raquel Meller is a genius!"

Sarah Bernhardt, actress

"The genius of Raquel Meller is something more than a born gift. Her work shows an intellectual control and a refinement of feeling unexcelled by any other artist I have ever seen"

Charlie Chaplin, actor, film director, composer

"Meller, a sorcerer. She talks with her hands..."

NEW YORK TIMES

"Raquel’s art always brings to my mind the same question: Where did such an angel learned so much mischief?"

Jacinto Benavente, writer (Nobel Prize for Literature 1922)

"If they could carve a statue of art, the statue will look like

Raquel Meller"

Manuel Linares Rivas, writer and politician

"Sometimes, watching Meller on stage, the captivated spectator believes he is observing light in her voice and music in her eyes"

Brothers Alvarez Quintero, writers

"Everything about her becomes a mystery since one can't explain what divine alignment makes possible that so many different elements may live in one single miracle named Raquel Meller"

Amadeo Vives, composer

"The delight of her performing method is that she doesn't seem

to have one."

Le Figaro, Paris

DEDICATION

This web is dedicated, first of all, to the memory of the great Raquel Meller.

These simple pages intend to help preserve her legacy and promote a dignified presence of the artist on cyberspace.

This tribute would not have been possible without the inspiration and help of many people whom I admire and love. First of all, I must thank Sara Montiel for introducing me, and my generation, to the cuplé musical genre with her unforgettable films, and recordings. Next I have to thank the great, unforgettable Olga Ramos who took the cuplé to new levels of excellency. By the same token I have a debt of gratitude with Olga María Ramos, the lady who carries on with her mother’s tradition and is, today, the greatest cuplé interpreter and promoter. I am also grateful to author Javier Barreiro, who with his marvelous books and articles help us to understand the history and the music of Spain.

It is impossible to list here all my friends and "cuplé fans" that have blessed me through the years with their friendship. You know who you are and I send you from here my heartfelt gratitude.

Thanks to all of them, Raquel, Fornarina, Chelito et all are still remembered

for what they were, groundbreaking extraordinary talents.

M. Omar Martínez

Raquel’s sculpture in Barcelona´s theater district.

VALENCIA

(José Padilla)

Played by La Banda Llaurí

Valencia, Spain

Back to top