100 Years of Recorded Tango
Raymond Lauzzana
2017 marks the 100th anniversary of recorded tango. Roberto Firpo’ s La Cumparsita was the the first recording of a tango that was ever made. It was recorded in November of 2016 at the studio of Max Glücksmann in Buenos Aires. for Odeon Records. The record was released to the public in a performance at the café La Giralda in Montevideo where Firpo frequently performed.
La Cumparsita was originally written as a march. It was composed by an 18-year-old architecture student named Gerardo Hernán Becho Matos Rodríguez.. Early in 1916, he showed the song to orchestra leader Roberto Firpo. When Firpo looked at the music, he saw ita as a tango. Originally, the song had two parts. Firpo added a third part taken from his earlier tangos— La gaucha Manuela and Curda Completa. He also added parts of Giuseppe Verdi’ s Miserere from the opera Il trovatore.
Although it was among the few tango recordinsg, it did not gain much popularity until lyrics were added in 1924 by the Argentine Pascual Contursi. The song soon became an international hit, and is considered the most widely known tango song in the world.
It is also the most widely recorded tango song of all time. It has been performed and recorded by small trios and large bands everywhere in the world. Having moved to Paris, Matos Rodríguez spent the nearly two decades in various court battles over royalties, finally succeeding in secure title to the rights for La Cumparsita.
This year, there will be major events thoughout Uruguay celebrating this 100th anniversary. of La Cumparsita. Montevideo begins the celebration with a musical show in Plaza Independencia with the participation of numerous artists. An open-air event called Bienvenido Cumparsita, by Intendance, is followed by an event at the Salvo Palace, where the La Giralda Café used to be, where the song was first performed.
Performers will include Ricardo Olivera, Valeria Lima, Maia Castro, Triple Nelson, Gabriel Peluffo, Néstor Vaz, Laura Legazcue, Roberto Herrera, Monica Navarro and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Montevideo. Admission to any of these events will be with free and there will be a fireworks!
Uruguay can rightfully claim that the tango was originally made in Uruguay. Argentines, from the other side of the Rio Plate, surely will claim that that is Argentines
that brought the erotic dance to the sensual music.
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