Luis “Totoyo” Millares

Timple master · 1935

Luis “Totoyo” Millares
ContemporaryMusic20th CenturyTimple

Timple master

Luis “Totoyo” Millares Sall was a master of the Canarian timple, recognised with the 2015 Canary Islands Prize for Popular Culture for his teaching, composition, research and outreach work.

Early life

Luis “Totoyo” Millares Sall devoted his career to performing, teaching, researching and disseminating the Canarian timple. He received the 2015 Canary Islands Prize for Popular Culture for his teaching, compositional, research and outreach work with the instrument.

Historical role

In 1954 he founded his Timple Academy, training generations of performers, including José Antonio Ramos. During the 1960s he worked on recovering the islands' musical heritage and disseminated the timple through media such as TVE and the BBC.

Legacy

His activity continued with the creation of the First Popular Orchestra of Timples of the Canary Archipelago in 1983 and with timple classes for emigrant associations in Latin America commissioned by the Canary Islands Government in 1992. His legacy occupies a central place in the contemporary transmission of the timple and in the popular musical memory of the archipelago.

Timeline

  1. 1935Luis “Totoyo” Millares is born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Sources and verification