The composer and guitarist Manolo Sanlúcara historical figure of flamenco, has died at 78 years old.
The Sanlucar Town Hall has released a statement on his death indicating that the mayor, Víctor Mora, will decree three days of official mourning from this Sunday, a few days in which the flags will fly at half-staff in all official buildings.
On behalf of the Municipal Corporation and especially the people of Sanlúcar, the Sanlúcar councilor has made public his “immense sorrow for the death of Manuel Muñoz Alcón, Manolo Sanlúcar, the greatest ambassador that Sanlúcar de Barrameda has had”.
The statement highlights that “Manolo Sanlúcar is the figure in the world of Spanish culture and arts who has contributed the most to spreading the name of his hometown throughout the world. ‘I have always fought carrying forward the word of my people, in such a way that I am a man who renounced his last name to take the one from Sanlúcar,’ he said last May at the inauguration of the auditorium that bears his name.
“Favorite Son of Sanlúcar and the Province of Cádiz, Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, the ‘Pastora Pavón, Niña de los Peines’ award, among many other and countless awards, Manolo Sanlúcar has been a composer of undoubted prestige and an exceptional guitarist. His work has obtained the international recognition and as a performer he has shown his creative ability on the main stages around the world. ‘I would like to be a messenger for you. My guitar is at the service of my people and wherever my people are, I will be there,’ she also said last May, ”adds the municipal note.
The Consistory points out that “in addition to his accredited artistic career, his academic career stands out. Always contributed to maintaining and disseminating flamenco, one of the most important elements of our culture”. “In recent years, Manuel Muñoz was able to verify the affection, appreciation and admiration of his people and the world of flamenco in various public awards. In Sanlúcar there will always be a record with the auditorium, the monument and the square that bears his name”, he adds.
The mayor has shown his regret for “the death of this universal figure”. “Now we have to remember that man who defended Andalusian culture, flamenco and the guitar to place his land on all stages, showing that his love for Sanlúcar de Barrameda was infinite”, he stated adding that “Sanlúcar loses a an unparalleled artist, but who leaves his essence in his artistic work, for which he worked all his life”.
Manolo Sanlúcar, whose state of health had been delicate for a long time, had recently restricted his public appearances for this reason, the last notable one being his attendance, on May 31, at the inauguration of a monument dedicated to him at the headquarters of the Aura Seguros Flamenco Arts Foundation, located on Avenida de Bajo de Guía in Sanlúcar.
Just a few days before, the May 12received a tribute coinciding with the reopening of the Auditorio de la Merced, a monument in Sanlúcar that has borne his name ever since. The City Council programmed for the occasion a flamenco show in homage to the genius of the guitar under the coordination of his brother José Miguel Évora, also a composer.
In June of last year, the creation of the Platform ‘Manolo Sanlucar’ with the aim of proposing public recognition of the figure of the Sanluqueño artist with a series of proposals addressed to the City Council.
In the words of this group, “in the flamenco world and among the long list of great artists who have built this unparalleled art over time, there is none who fits better with that double nature of Andalusian and universal like Manuel Muñoz Alcón, for history, Manolo Sanlúcar”.
“He has defined himself as an artist of roots and wings. And he has been and continues to be a unique case of an Andalusian artist capable of taking flight, going from his first steps on the guitar, learned in his family strongholds, in Sanlúcar, in the shadow of Isidro, his father, to mastering the convoluted paths of musical language and manage to create orchestral compositions that are destined to go down in the history of Spanish music, as much as the brilliant and enormous properly flamenco work of the artist from Sanlúcar”, argued the manifesto of the platform.
He also pointed out that “at no time in his professional and personal history the brilliance of the luminaries of success and world recognition made him forget his origins”.
“Manolo Muñoz Alcón has left forever, registered in the best history of flamenco and Spanish and international culturehis name and that of his town: Sanlúcar de Barrameda”, he stressed.
Since the news of his death has been publicly disclosed shows of regret do not stop happening in very different areas.
