Juan Breva

Biography

His true name was Antonio Ortega Escalona He was born in Vélez-Málaga during the middle of the 19th century and died in Málaga in 1918 He was a singer and guitaristHistory contemplates him as one of the basic pillars of 'malagueña´ style songs, in such a way that soon enough he turned into a professional, inheriting the name of his grandfather, who sold 'brevas´-figs- His great success, as many singers of the era, reached him in Madrid Curiously enough, it has to be said that in 1884 he sang in three different shows a day: in the Príncipe Alfonso Theatre, Café del Barquillo and in Café del Imparcial Rubén Darío notes that in the first two premises he was paid five duros (five peseta pieces (0,15 euros), and in El Imparcial they gave him the same amount on top of home for his family He was the only singer of that era to perform frequently for the King, to such a point that Alfonso XII regularly gave him tie pins during his palace performances However despite being a well recognised artist, the last years of his life were hard, since he lived nearly in poverty and a collection had to be made to pay for his funeral However before his death he had time to discover in Café de Chinitas in Málaga, Antonio Chacón, which he had predicted as a great future figure