The story cannot have another protagonist than Brother Ricardo from Cordoba. Fifty years ago, the young Capuchin, accompanied by Expiración’s older brother, Rafael Zafra, visited at his home the piano teacher and composer Antonio Pantión (1898-1974), author of such classic marches as “Jesús de las Penas “.
Our Lady of Rosary in her Sorrowful Mysteries, she had been blessed the previous year and had already brought a new air to Holy Week in Cordoba. Brother Ricardo wanted him to do his own march, even though the Expiration was a brotherhood of silence, and for this he went to Panción.
“We were at his house on San Vicente Street in Seville, and he played the march for us on the piano. I remember that Fray Ricardo was enthusiastic,” recalls Rafael Zafra. Antonio Pantionwho died the same year, “he had almost lost his sight” and he treated them with total kindness and told them that he had come to Córdoba several times to perform.
This march was dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, but in reality it had been written six years previously. The original score is titled ‘Virgin Dolorosissima” and it bears the date 1968. Pantión gave it to the brotherhood and since then it has belonged to them. It was Fray Ricardo, known as Rafael Zafra, who thought of the title “Exhale in your Rosary”.
At that time, its author already had eleven marches, among which also appeared “Your sorrows are my sorrows”, “Trinitarian Hope” or “Saint Christ of Seven words‘. Only one, that of the Virgin of Sorrows of Malaga, was not dedicated to a brotherhood of Seville.
Panthion only wrote the scores for piano and other professionals were in charge of the instrumentation of the music group. In this case, we commissioned Carlos Castellano, a composer born in Montalbán de Córdoba then residing in Fuengirola who evolved in the world of Spanish song and who wrote songs as well known as ‘The brunette of my song’.
The Virgen del Rosario already had its march, but what would it look like for a brotherhood of silence? Rafael Zafra believes it was created on the street, Municipal Music of Cordoba. The training accompanied a brotherhood in the official career according to a team system.
“I spoke with Miguel Salcedo Hierrowho was a municipal councilor at the time, so the gang accompanied us all the way, but they left very tired because of Zoilo,” he says.
Since then, the Virgin of the Rosary has remained in absolute silence, even if the brotherhood has preserved the memory of her departure. On October 31, 1993, for his canonical coronation, he brought the musical accompaniment of the group Soria 9then in a great moment, directed by Abel Moreno.
with music
Then the idea arose that the Virgin was with a group playing funeral steps and it recovered very soon after with the hiring of the Amueci group, which this year will no longer be present with the Virgin after almost three decades.
Since then, “Exhale into your Rosary” has been performed for the image at many points along the route, including at the exit. His character accompanies natural to the brotherhood, because it is a funeral march.
Like all of its author’s works, it consists of two themes. The first has a very funereal character, with vertical contrasts and value between the notes, so that some are longer and others very short, which gives rise to a very severe atmosphere. The second is softer, and after re-exposure it returns to the first.
From the 21st century it began to consolidate as a classic march for the brotherhoods of Córdoba and was performed for other images, such as Mayor Dolor, Lágrimas or Anxiety. The first time it was recorded was on the organ, on the second of the albums which Jesus Sampedro dedicated to marches, in 2008.
Later it was also recorded by the Royal Friendship Circle Symphony Orchestra, in 2012, and that same year by the music group Nuestra Señora de la Star on his first album.
His memory comes in the month of the Rosary, at the same time as the brotherhood celebrates the 21st anniversary of the canonical coronation of the image, this Thursday, October 31. There will be a ceremony at 8:00 p.m. in the Royal Church of San Pablo, preached by Antonio Gil. On November 1st, Virgo will be kiss the hand in his chapel.
