Episode 11. Víctor: music and roots

Víctor Batista has been a musician since he was born. His childhood and his education in La Salle School in Arucas soon led him towards this artistic discipline, under the guidance of teachers such as Antonio Hanna. The artistic vein runs in his family, as he is the grandson of Domingo Velázquez, a poet from Fuerteventura who settled in Gáldar and who in his youth, on the island of Fuerteventura, already frequented with his father the social circle of Don Miguel de Unamuno. This episode also introduces us to the Municipal Museum of Arucas, a space where art is concentrated in the various disciplines, and which also includes music.


Víctor has hardly separated himself from the classical guitar, which accompanies him wherever he goes, whether as a soloist or with other groups, such as Los Gofiones, which he directed for 20 years. Before that, he was also a pupil of great figures such as the guitarist Blas Sánchez, who taught him for many years while in Paris, although he never forgets his roots in Arucas and his summers in San Andrés, where he played along the coast of Arucas with his friends.

‘For my parents it was a trauma when I told them I wanted to be a musician, a sad experience which in time became the most joyful for them, because being a musician has given them many moments of satisfaction and pride. I even had the opportunity to teach them music, which was something that they had wanted to do since they were very young’.


 

The history of music in Arucas has always been represented by great bands and symphonic musicians, without forgetting legendary groups such as the "Los Amigos de La Goleta", the González Family (an icon of folk music) or Los Granjeros from Montaña Cardones, references in the popular music of the islands. In addition, Arucas has recently seen the birth of enterprising luthiers in the making of instruments, such as the bass player Aarón Santana or Leonardo Navarro, an industrial engineer, whose workshop has become a benchmark in this field.

We thank Víctor Batista for his time, his dedication and his art, and we wish him the best of luck in his future projects and the bond he has always maintained with his origins, with his roots in the municipality of flowers and also, why not, to good music.


CREDITS

Production and direction: Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Arucas (Concejalía de Promoción Económica y Turismo)

Camera: Antonio Domingo Pérez Acosta (Reflejos pro)

Editing: Teresa Armesto (Reflejos pro)

Script and interviews: Epifanio Gómez Navarro y David Cabrera Guillén

Photography: Nacho González Oramas

Music: Víctor Batista Velázquez

Assitants: Miriam Cárdenes Suárez

Collaboration / Acknowledgments: Instrumentos Leo Navarro; Museo Municipal de Arucas; Radio Arucas

Funding: Gobierno de Canarias (Consejería de Turismo, Industria y Comercio) y Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Arucas (Concejalía de Promoción Económica y Turismo)

 
 
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