The first tango musicians at the beginning of the 20th century were amateur musicians without formal musical training (including Vicente Greco, Juan Maglio, Eduardo Arolas, and Angel Gregorio Villoldo), some of whom played in the tradition of the payadores, the Argentine itinerant musicians. Among other things, they integrated rustic rhythms like milonga and candombe, as well as other Creole elements, into the nascent tango and founded the first orchestras. Until then, there were no dedicated tango orchestras, so the characteristic instruments had to be discovered and the performance techniques developed. These early tango musicians are collectively known as the “guardia vieja” (old guard). The first orchestras played a significant role in developing the musical tools and performance structures that shaped the character of tango. In a historical context, this period ended around 1925 and led into a transitional phase in which the orchestras evolved into their final form, the EDO, around 1940.
One particular musician was very well-known and important in this context: Roberto Firpo. Roberto was born on May 10, 1884, in Las Flores (Buenos Aires Province). In these early days of tango, there was no radio and only a very limited number of phonograph cylinders. Tango music was predominantly published as piano music, even though the piano wasn’t considered a typical tango instrument. For one thing, it wasn’t portable; for another, only wealthier venues could afford a piano. Roberto likely heard this piano music during his childhood in Las Flores and later in Bahia Blanca and Buenos Aires, developing an unquenchable desire to learn to play. At the age of 19, the time had come. Roberto had worked hard to earn the money for a piano and acquired his first one, an act he later commented on as follows: “The happiest day of my life cost me 200 pesos.” [1]. Lessons in piano and composition with Alfredo Bevilacqua, a well-known composer at the time, prepared Roberto for the start of his musical career as a composer and musician four years later (in 1907) [2]. This made Roberto Firpo the first tango musician with formal training on his instrument and in classical composition.
His first trio was formed with Francisco Postiglione (violin) and Juan Carlos Bazan (clarinet) [5]. In 1913, he formed a larger orchestra and began recording for “Nacional Odeon” a year later. Firpo used the format of the Orquesta tipica criolla (2 violins, 2 bandoneons, flute, guitar), invented by Vicente Greco, but replaced the guitar with his piano. Many famous musicians started out in his orchestra, including Eduardo Arolas, Osvaldo Fresedo, Pedro Maffia, Elvino Vardaro, Juan Deambroggio, and even Francisco Canaro [3].
In 1914 he composed one of his most famous tangos, “Alma de bohemia,” which introduced a more lyrical and romantic style, a completely new element to the tango at the time [2].
Apart from his adaptation of “La Cumparsita”[3]. Another tango, “El Amanecer,” is very well-known, in which the violin is used onomatopoeically to acoustically depict fireworks, birds, and other animals. In the 1933 film “Tango,” he and his orchestra are shown playing “El Amanecer.”
With the introduction of the piano, Firpo significantly changed the sound of tango orchestras, primarily because the piano’s bass line provided a better harmonic foundation and because the piano could serve as a rhythm instrument, being louder than the rather quiet guitar. This allowed the orchestra to fill larger halls with a more prominent sound.
Roberto Firpo had a long active career, recording until 1959, thus beyond the end of the EDO, apart from a short unsuccessful period in which he tried his hand at cattle breeding and thereby lost his entire fortune [3]. Unfortunately, he was unable to further develop his interpretive style and never reached the level of the great EDO orchestras; he remained with the sound of the late Guardia Vieja and the transitional period throughout his life.
Roberto Firpo died on June 14, 1969, leaving behind a huge legacy of approximately 200 compositions and about 3000 recordings [5].
Finally, here are just a few of Roberto Firpo’s other well-known compositions:
Have fun,
-Richard
Literature
1 http://www.todotango.com/english/artists/biography/37/Roberto-Firpo/
2 http://www.totaltango.com/acatalog/tango_more_about_firpo_93.html
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Firpo
4 http://tango.5toll.com/en/2014/03/08/la-cumparsita/
5 https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Firpo