Nio Ricardo

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Manuel Serrap Snchez

Statue of "Nio Ricardo", flamenco guitarist. Plaza del Cristo de

Burgos in Sevilla

Background information

Also known as Nio Ricardo

Born July 11, 1904

Sevilla, Spain

Died 1972

Genres Flamenco
 Occupation(s) Flamenco guitarist

Instruments flamenco guitar

Nio Ricardo (11 July 1904 14 April 1972), born as Manuel Serrap, was a Flamenco composer,
considered by some sources[citation needed] as the most accomplished flamenco player of his day. He
played a significant part in the evolution of the flamenco guitar. He lived in the city center of Sevilla.
A child guitar prodigy, his early audiences referred to him as the son of Ricardo, leading to his stage-
name Nio [de] Ricardo.

Contents
[hide]

1Early years
2Playing style
3Musical influences
4Personal life
5Death
6Legacy
7Partial Filmography
8Partial Discography
o 8.1Solo guitar
o 8.2Composer and accompanist
9References
10External links

Early years[edit]
He was born on July 11, 1904, on Almudena Street of the Plaza de Argelles in Seville (today Plaza
del Cristo de Burgos), in Spain, in a typical neighborhood at that time. Today visitors contemplate
the facade of the hotel which is dedicated to Nio Ricardo with a commemorative plaque.
Serrap Ricardo Torres, guitarist and father of Nio Ricardo along with Antonio Moreno, a friend of
the father, taught and introduced young Ricardo to the world of flamenco when he was 13 years old.
Like his father, he did not want to play professionally.
Javier Molina, guitarist born in Jerez, was the one who gave the first opportunity to Nio Ricardo, at
14 years of age, to perform in a flamenco show, where he met singers whom he later accompanied
both in Spain and beyond, and concert performance continued uninterrupted for the rest of his life.
His career began in 1924 by accompanying La Nia de los Peines and at the age of 20 he began
recording on his own.

Playing style[edit]
His fingernails grew in a peculiar upward curve, a fact that influenced his playing style and tone.
After a throat operation in 1945, he acquired a deep, raspy voice that is audible on recordings in
which he hums along and offers encouraging remarks to the singer.
His bright chord arrangements with the left hand together with his creative genius made for his own
unique falsetas (improvisations). His right hand was unique in its constant manipulation of the strings
and insistent rhythmic counterpoint. The Ricardo touch carried such musical motivation that many
singers acknowledged they never sang better than with his accompaniment. He also loved
accompaniment and was fond of singing before a concert with his guitar and because he sang to his
guitar, he encouraged others to join in..[citation needed]
He was one of the wisest players in flamenco history, and gave each song form its rightful place. He
claimed that the guitar was his religion. He said the guitar with singing, should carry on a dialogue:
"Neither should the singing silence the guitar nor the guitar obscure the passage of the cante
(singing)". Flamenco guitar would not be what it is, if it were not for the Master..[citation needed] The totally
new style he developed revolutionized the guitar, creating a school called the 'Ricardismo' (very
much Ricardo). He introduced a new challenge to the art of flamenco guitar playing at the time.

Musical influences[edit]
Ricardo was influenced by fellow flamenco players, including: Pinto, Torre, El Nio
Gloria, Escacena, and Antonio Mairena. He spent his early years playing in the taverns and bars of
Seville where he developed his own personal style and created much of his own material. He was
inspired by the great threesome of flamenco guitar; Ramn Montoya, Manolo de Huelva, and Javier
Molina, by whom he was guided at the start of his professional career in the Salon Variedades in
Seville. Ricardo recorded with many singers, including Pastora, El Carbonerillo, Mazaco, Antonio
and Manuel Mairena, Fernanda y Bernarda, Caracol and Talega.

Personal life[edit]
Born as Manuel Serrap on 11 July 1904, he was one of two children. The son of Ricardo and
Carmen Serrap, he was born in southern Spain and began playing guitar as a young child. He
married Lola Siguenza in his early twenties and had two children with her. He reportedly had several
affairs with other women while touring, thus there are two more children he is considered to be the
father of.[citation needed]
In 1945 he underwent throat surgery that left him with a deep voice, although this did not prevent
him from continuing his career; he is easily recognized in the recordings where one can hear him
humming along as he plays.

Death[edit]
Nio Ricardo died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1972 at the age of 67. A monument exists at his grave in
the Cemetery San Fernando in Sevilla. It represents an angel lifting a guitar to Heaven. It is the work
of sculptor Sandino and was funded with revenues from sales of a tribute album they recorded in
1972, in which a group of recording artists such as Paco de Lucia, Sabicas and Ricardo's son
performed songs by Ricardo. In 2004, celebrations of the 100 years since the birth of Nio Ricardo
were held in southern Spain. In 2005, they raised a monument and a plaque in the Plaza del Cristo
de Burgos, near where Ricardo was born.

Legacy[edit]
According to the book "Flamenco: Gypsy Dance and Music from Andalusia" by Claus Schreiner, the
period after the Spanish Civil War and World War II flamenco guitar music was largely dominated by
the style of performers like Nio Ricardo and Sabicas. Many modern flamenco guitarists were
influenced by Ricardo such as Paco de Lucia, Paco Pea and Juan Martn.
He taught many guitarists of the era such as Paco de Luca, Enrique de Melchor, and Serranito.
Paco de Lucia said on several occasions that the Nio Ricardo "was the reigning master of the guitar
of our generation. He represented the ultimate in flamenco guitar, the Godfather. We learned a lot
from him and tried to copy it."[citation needed]
He recorded with some of the best known singers of the time, such as Porrina de Badajoz, la Nia
de los Peines, Pastora, Toms, Pepe Pinto, Gloria, Vallejo, El Carbonerillo, Mazaco, Antonio
Chacn, Manuel Mairena, Fernanda y Bernarda, Caracol y Talega, although he considered Manuel
Torre his favorite. He toured with them during the 1940s, and in concert with Sabicas in Mexico in
1949.
He created compositions for many singers like Juanito Valderrama, for whom he composed his
biggest hit, "El emigrante" ("The Emigrant") and "El rey de la carretera" (King of the Road") among
others.

Partial Filmography[edit]
Nio Ricardo appears in many episodes of NODE.
Caf de Chinitas, where he also speaks.
El Rey de la Carretera.[1] (The King of the Road.) (1956)
Puente de Coplas.[2]

Partial Discography[edit]
Many LPs and slate recordings have disappeared, however some CDs are still available, and one
can hear Ricardo in the "Masters of flamenco guitar" collection. Many of the recordings from
Ricardo's first period, which showed the growth of his musical personality, have been lost. Some
existing copies belong to fans and collectors. Presently, there exists the following discs on solo
guitar or accompanying singers.