Modern Tango World #7 (Havana & the Caribbean)

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Uruguay can rightfully claim that the tango was originally
made in Uruguay.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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