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D'Arienzo's 1935 orchestra

D'Arienzo's 1935 octet sharpened its four-beat pulse into a crisp staccato sound. Its first recordings already showed that character with Lidio Fasoli at the piano; Rodolfo Biagi joined later in the year. [1][2]

Compared with D'Arienzo's 1928–30 recordings, Hotel Victoria had a faster tempo and a sharper beat. Lavocah heard four equally strong beats without the arrastre used by Di Sarli and Pugliese. [1] Faster playing was already present elsewhere, but D'Arienzo described the tougher character of his orchestra as recia, a sound he associated with city life. [3]

The orchestra was an octet with three violins, three bandoneons, piano and double bass; extra players joined recording sessions. Its early beat came from violins and bandoneons together, with neither section dominant. [4] Fasoli played piano on the first ten listed 1935 recordings, before Biagi's arrival changed the piano's role. [5][6]

Players and sound

Alfredo Mazzeo played the low violin obbligatos using a viola bow, while Domingo Mancuso took the more agile violin solos. The two played together on Tinta verde. [4][7] Domingo Moro led the bandoneons, Rodolfo Duclós played plucked double bass, and Walter Cabral sang on four recordings, none of them tangos. Apart from the pianist, this core lineup remained stable until the end of the decade. [5]

Recordings and repertoire

The first listed session, on 2 July 1935, paired the vals Desde el alma with the tango Hotel Victoria. [6] In Desde el alma, the beat drove a composition Lavocah described as sentimental in its earlier treatment; the bandoneons added syncopated accompaniment and a closing variation. [8] The August recording of Tinta verde placed Mancuso's upper violin line beside Mazzeo's lower one and ended with a bandoneon variation accompanied by plucked violins. [7]

The repertoire returned to older works through an accelerated staccato approach. Valses criollos occupied a substantial place beside tangos, milongas and occasional polkas; a disc with tangos on both sides did not appear until April 1937. [9] The November tango Sábado inglés gave the bandoneons a running closing variation, while December's Joaquina brought together the two lead violins and a passage of bandoneon triplets. [10][11]

Biagi's arrival

Biagi, previously heard as an intermission pianist at the Chantecler, replaced Fasoli after Fasoli failed to appear for a performance. His first listed recordings with the orchestra were made on 31 December 1935. [12] Accounts collected by Lavocah connected Biagi's accented piano playing with a Chantecler performance of 9 de julio; the recorded tango was made on 31 December and released in January 1936. The performance story did not establish a premiere date for the piece. [13]

References

How Tangopedia works

  1. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 15 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“D'Arienzo now continues with these four strong beats, but sharpens them up.”
  2. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 18 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“It was Lidio Fasoli”
  3. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 16 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“D'Arienzo said his orchestra was recia: tough and gritty.”
  4. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 17 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“D'Arienzo's 1935 orchestra was an octet: three-man violin and bandoneon sections, plus piano and double bass.”
  5. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 18 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“With the exception of the pianist, this line-up”
  6. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 22 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“Table 2: recordings with Lidio Fasoli (1935)”
  7. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 25 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“That's Mancuso playing the high part, and Mazzeo playing the low part.”
  8. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 22 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“what drives this forward is not the melody, but the beat.”
  9. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 20 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“It's April 1937 before he releases a disc which has a tango on both faces.”
  10. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 27 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“the running variation which gives the piece a special climax.”
  11. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 28 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“the bandoneons do appear with a triplet fiesta”
  12. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 30 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“Recording for the 31st December 1935: these are Biagi's first recordings with the orchestra.”
  13. Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Juan D'Arienzo, p. 31 (ISBN 978-1-9997551-2-6) · milongapress.comSource page“the tango was recorded just nineteen days later and released on the 3rd January 1936”
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