Talk A Tango – Sixth Tanda,
The secrets of La Cumparsita

We have seen in our previous column how Roberto Firpo transformed a simple march into a popular tango, when touring Uruguay in 1916. Gerardo Matos-Rodriguez, who was the actual author of the march, had no idea that, many years later, his tango would be solemnly declared Cultural and Popular National Anthem of Uruguay and he would be considered a national hero. The new tango had been initially conceived by Matos-Rodriguez as an easy-listening marching song to be danced during the approaching carnival festivities. But after Firpo added a third section to the song (Continue Reading…)

FOURTH TANDA: FRANCISCO CANARO. THE STUBBORN OLD GUARDIAN

We have seen in previous pages how a century ago, tango music made its triumphant arrival to Buenos Aires nightlife clubs off Corrientes St. in the hands of Vicente Greco. Now, let’s focus our attention on a fellow musician of Greco, who became a giant figure in tango history, Francisco “Pirincho” Canaro. Born in Uruguay in 1888, Francisco Canaro … (Continue Reading)