Tango in 1918

The year 1918 brought together several developments in tango covered by the available sources: a tango sung on the theatre stage, the start of an organised effort to secure composers' rights, a body of recordings by early orchestras and performers, and the birth of a future composer and bandleader ^[1][2][3][5].

The best-documented event of the year is the appearance of "Mi noche triste" in the sainete Los dientes del perro. The play was staged by the Muiño-Alippi company and included a scene in which the young actress Manolita Poli sang the tango ^[1]. According to one account, the orchestra of Roberto Firpo accompanied her at the theatre that was later renamed the teatro Maipo ^[4].

In the same year Francisco Canaro began working for authors' rights, which were not recognised at the time ^[2][6]. Both sources link this effort to the later founding of SADAIC (Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores de Música) in 1935 ^[2][6].

Beyond Buenos Aires, one source places 1918 at the end of a wider period. The tango had been spreading in Europe as a fashionable dance since the first decade of the twentieth century, and the so-called tangomanía broke out shortly before the First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1918 ^[1].

International context

One source describes how the tango spread in Europe in the years leading up to 1918. It had been circulating there as a fashionable dance since the first decade of the twentieth century, and the "tangomanía" broke out shortly before the First World War of 1914–1918 ^[1]. The dossier contains no further detail on how the tango was danced or received in Europe in 1918 itself ^[1].

Francisco Canaro and composers' rights

Francisco Canaro was involved in the defence of authors' rights in 1918, at a time when such rights were not recognised ^[2]. One source says he fought for composers' rights "since 1918" and describes him as the one who brought his colleagues together ^[6]. Another phrases this as a struggle carried on "in 1918" ^[2]. Both sources state that this work culminated in the creation of SADAIC (Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores de Música), founded in 1935, whose building was erected on land bought by Canaro ^[2][6].

The same source on Canaro also mentions a "Himno" composed in 1918. It used the melody of It's a Long Way to Tipperary, with lyrics by Arturo Antelo ^[2]. The material does not explain which body or occasion this hymn was written for, or how it relates to Canaro ^[2].

The sources link 1918 to the move of "Mi noche triste" into the theatre. One account says that in 1918 the sainete Los dientes del perro was staged by the Muiño-Alippi company. It included a scene in which the very young actress Manolita Poli sang "Mi noche triste" ^[1].

Another account gives further detail. When the sainete opened at the teatro Esmeralda (later called the teatro Maipo), reportedly on 20 April 1918, the orchestra of Roberto Firpo accompanied Manolita Poli ^[4]. The same account describes Poli as a 19-year-old actress whose parents were zarzuela performers, and identifies the piece she sang as the tango by Castriota and Contursi ^[4]. This date comes from a single source and is not confirmed elsewhere in the dossier ^[4].

A further source records that on 6 September 1918 a waltz was recorded under the same title. Its title carried an addendum describing it as being "Sobre motivos del tango de" (on themes from the tango by) a composer whose name is cut off in the available excerpt ^[7]. The excerpt does not name the performer of this waltz recording ^[7].

A discography listing dates the following recordings by Roberto Firpo to 1918 ^[5]:

The same listing dates recordings by other performers to 1918 ^[5]:

"La racha" appears in the listing as a 1918 recording by both Francisco Canaro and Roberto Firpo, under the same work identifier (T0370025458) ^[5]. The listing gives Firpo's recording of "A la gran muñeca" a duration of 2:31 ^[5]. The entries for "Cara sucia" and "Un lamento" carry an additional "1917–1918" annotation, which the listing does not explain ^[5].

These dates are recording dates in a listing. They show only that the works were recorded in 1918, which may be their earliest known recording within this material. They do not establish when the works were composed or first performed ^[5].

Mariano Alberto Martínez, known as Mariano Mores, was born in Buenos Aires on 18 February 1918 ^[3]. He became an Argentine musician, pianist, composer and tango orchestra director, and died in Buenos Aires on 13 April 2016 ^[3].