Mexican tenor. He was born in Álamos (Sonora) on 29 January 1893. He was the son of Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Retes and Luisa Tirado.
When he was still a child, his father died and the family moved to Mexico City where, at only eight years old, he obtained his first success at
a social party where he had been taken by his sisters Sarah and María Luisa, mezzosoprano and soprano respectively. The boy had to sing
instead of the indisposed scheduled soprano, and became the star of the night.
Alfonso Ortiz studied medicine and graduated as a surgeon in 1919. He worked as orthopedic surgeon while at the same time studied singing with
José Pierson. In 1920, he started singing in concerts and benefit performances. Also in 1920, he sang for the first time on the radio, on
a small radio station that belonged the the cigarette company "El Buen Tono", later to become the powerful XEB broadcasting company.
It was also in 1920 that he decided to travel to the USA to deepen his qualification in orthopedic surgery, first in Denver (Colorado) and later
in New York, where he made a living by singing in night clubs and hotels, such as the Waldorf Astoria.
He made his operatic debut on 11 November 1928 at the Teatro Esperanza Iris in Mexico City as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore with Consuelo
Escobar (Adina) and David Silva (Belcore). On 14 and 21 December, he sang the role of Renato des Grieux in Massenet's Manon with the
distinguished soprano María Romero in the title role. It was a triumph for Ortiz Tirado and he had to repeat the role on 27 January 1929,
this time with soprano Flora Islas Chacón as Manon.
On 17 January 1929, he sang a new role at the Esperanza Iris, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Consuelo Escobar. He was called to
sing that role again on 28 April 1929 with Isabel Soria as Rosina, this time at the Teatro Arbeu in Mexico City. Finally, on 5 May 1929 he
repeated his Nemorino at the Esperanza Iris, with Consuelo Escobar as Adina.
He made some tours to other Mexican cities before going abroad, in 1929, to sing in Havana and other Caribbean cities. Back to Mexico, he
obtained a great success at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, singing on 15 December 1929 in a concert of operatic arias and Mexican music
with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra.
On 18 September 1930, he inaugurated the new XEW "The Voice of Latin America" radio station in Mexico City with other famous Mexican singers
like Juan Arvizu, Néstor Chayres and Agustín Lara. Ralph Peer who was the artistic director of RCA Víctor offered him a
contract, and he made his first 78 rpm record with the songs "Rosa" and "Lamento gitano". He obtained an important contract to sing at NBC and
stayed for 18 months in the USA, singing in New York, Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore and other cities. He also made a successful
audition for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, but his love and dedication to his medical career prevented him from accepting the offered
contract. All the money he earned by singing was used to buy surgical material for his future clinic, the dream of his life.
Back to Mexico City, he married Magdalena Avilés and they had three sons: Alfonso, María Luisa and Carlos.
In 1933, he made a second tour to Cuba, singing again at Havana and other cities. Then he traveled to Costa Rica, where he had the opportunity to
sing at the beautiful Teatro Nacional in San José. He returned to Mexico and started a tour of Mexican cities. At the Teatro Degollado in
Guadalajara he sang three operatic concerts with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra, in June 1933.
It was also in 1933 that he made his first film in Mexico: "Su última canción" (His last song), with actress María Luisa
Zea who also made her debut in that film, and singing music by Jules Massenet and María Grever. Later (I don't have the year) he made his
second and last film, also with María Luisa Zea, "La última copa" (The last drink). On 28 December 1933, he sang at the Teatro
Degollado a concert of Mexican music.
In 1934 he made his first long Latin American tour, singing in Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. Everywhere he was enthusiastically received,
but it was in Buenos Aires where he sang longer, not only on the radio but also in recitals at the Teatro Odeón. He sang at other
important Argentinean theaters like the the Teatro Ópera in Rosario, and the Teatro Rivera Indarte in Córdoba. On 24 August 1934,
he made his debut in Uruguay with a concert at the Teatro 18 de Julio, in Montevideo.
In April 1936, he sang four operatic concerts at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara and made a new Latin American tour. The following year,
he was invited to sing in Buenos Aires again, where he was joined by two other Mexican tenors: Tito Guízar and Juan Arvizu.
On 23 May 1938 a hospital for children was inaugurated in Mexico City, the most modern at the time, built with his earnings as a singer. It was
called "Clínica Alfonso Ortiz Tirado". The tenor put a plate with the inscription: "My gratitude to Mexico. With my songs, I built this
temple for the mitigation of pain."
In 1938 he was once again singing in Buenos Aires, and on 27 July he arrived in Santiago (Chile), where he sang for the first time.
He made many tours throughout Latin America and visited Cuba, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil,
Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. Reportedly, he also sang in Spain, but I have been unable to find support to this statement.
He received homages, both as a doctor and as a singer. He got medals from Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and the American Union. In Argentina
they erected a monument to him.
On 26 April 1939, he sang for the first time at the Palacio de las Bellas Artes in Mexico City in a concert with several other important Mexican
opera singers, like Fanny Anitúa and María Romero.
During the forties he continued his tours, also recording traditional music of the countries he visited: Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Chile.
In 1954, he made an LP singing duets with his friend, the Mexican tenor Juan Arvizu. In 1955, a moving
homage in his honour was organized at the Bellas Artes theatre in Mexico City.
Alfonsoo Ortiz Tirado was called "the lyric ambassador of song" and was one of the most beloved singers not only in Mexico, but in all Latin
American countries. Besides, he was one of the greatest orthopedic surgeons in Hispanic America, being the personal doctor of the famous Mexican
artist Frida Kahlo.
However, he lived in despair his last years, because he was not able to sing. For seven years, he suffered from a serious heart condition, and
died in Mexico City at 67 years old, on 7 September 1960.
The discography of Alfonso Ortiz Tirado
It would be very long and tedious to detail each of the more than one hundred recordings made by our tenor.
His first records ("Manon" and "Gratia plena") were for the Brunswick company in the USA around 1928/1929, with piano by composer and baritone
Mario Talavera. He recorded about twenty selections for Brunswick, most of them Mexican folk tunes, including duets with his sister Sarah Ortiz
Tirado and Mario Talavera. The orchestra was conducted by the noted Mexican composer Alfonso Esparza Oteo (the author of the beautiful song "Un
viejo amor"). Also included was a version of Mexico's national anthem.
As I already said, his first international record for RCA was made in 1930 with orchestra conducted by Leroy Shield:
PBVE-54743-2 Rosa (Agustín Lara) 46922, 23-0935
PBVE-54754-1 Lamento gitano (María Grever) 46922
He made only two records with opera arias (Victor Black Label):
MBS-90667-2 L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti): Una furtiva lagrima 75272
MBS-90668-2 Serenata (Franz Schubert) 75272
MBS-90669-1 Manon (Massenet): Chiudo gli occhi 75273
MBS-90670-2 Rimpianto (Enrico Toselli) 75273
He was one of the few popular artists (the other one was José Mojica) who were offered the distinction to record some selections for the
prestigious Victor Red Label, usually reserved for the great classical artists:
XVE-53255-2 Nunca te olvidaré (Agustín Lara) 4153, 75549, 23-0938
XVE-53278-1 A una ola (María Grever) 4153, 75549
XVE-53241-2 Abre tus ojos (Jorge del Moral) 4167
XVE-53254-2 Déjame que te bese (Jorge del Moral) 4167
XVE-53242-3 Flor de mayo (Mario Talavera) 4168
XVE-53277-2 Margaritas (Jorge del Moral) 4168
The following is a personal selection of what I think are his best songs:
PBVE-54746-1 Te quiero dijiste (María Grever) 30078, 75031
PBVE-54750-2 Por si no te vuelvo a ver (María Grever) 30078, 75031
BS-76386-2 Cabellera blanca (Agustín Lara) 30886, 75048
BS-76459-3 Madre mía (Antonio Placencia) 30886, 23-0939
BS-76532-2 No niegues que me quisiste (Jorge del Moral) 30943
BS-76531-1 Mañanita (Gonzalo Curiel) 30943, 75550, 23-0939
BAVE-86585-1 Las perlas de tu boca (Eliseo Grenet) 37641
BAVE-86586-1 Clavel del aire (Juan de Díos Filiberto) 37641, 37672
BAVE-86595-1 Calla, tristeza (Gonzalo Curiel) 37657, 75135
BAVE-86596-1 Te quiero, morena (Ernesto Lecuona) 37657, 75135
BAVE-86597-1 Granada (Agustín Lara) 37658
BAVE-86598-1 Toledo (Agustín Lara) 37658
MBS-90658-2 Sevilla (Agustín Lara) 75244
MBS-90659-1 Oración caribe (María Teresa Lara) 75244
MBS-015280-2 Yucaltepén (Guty Cárdenas) 75760
MBS-015281-2 El caminante del Mayab (Guty Cárdenas) 75760
He also recorded for the Victor company with his sister Sarah Ortiz Tirado:
"Suspiro andaluz" and "Mercedes". With the soprano Rosa Tentoni he recorded the
beautiful song by Mario Talavera, "Por la señal". All these titles were made in 1933.
During the forties (1942/45) he made recordings in Buenos Aires for Odeon and Columbia, and in Mexico for the Peerless label. At the end of his
career he made LPs for RCA Victor that included some duets with fellow tenors Pedro Vargas and Juan Arvizu.
Juan Dzazópulos, February 2008
