Lucio Demare

Lucio Demare stands among the central figures of the tango's romantic school, both as a pianist of distinctive touch and as the composer of several of the genre's most enduring melodies. Born into a musical family in Buenos Aires, he moved from silent-film accompaniment and jazz bands to a formative European period with the trio Irusta-Fugazot-Demare, then returned to Argentina to lead a successful orchestra and to write film scores that reinforced the link between tango and Argentine cinema. His work is characterized by lyrical piano writing, refined arrangements and a preference for introspective rather than aggressively rhythmic expression.^[1][2][3]

He was born on 9 August 1906 in Buenos Aires, the son of the violinist Domingo Demare and Otilia Riccio. His brother Lucas later became a noted film director. Lucio began piano studies with his father, continued with his cousin Luis Riccardi (a pianist in Francisco Canaro's orchestra) and completed technical training with Vicente Scaramuzza. By the age of eight or nine he was already performing professionally, accompanying silent films and playing on the Buenos Aires–Montevideo steamer (with occasional trips to Asunción) alongside the violinist Miramontes; at eleven he accompanied the singer Imperio Argentina. Between 1922 and 1924 he played in Nicolás Verona's jazz band at the Real Cine on Esmeralda street, debuting as a composer with pasodobles, foxtrots and the shimmy "Melodía de amor" (recorded by Azucena Maizani). From 1924 to 1926 he worked with Eleuterio Iribarren's jazz band at the Ta-Ba-Rís cabaret.^[1][2][4]

In 1926 Francisco Canaro, then active in France, summoned Demare to Paris. Demare joined the group left behind at the Florida dancing while Canaro traveled to New York, and he premiered early tangos such as "Dandy" and "Mañanitas de Montmartre" (lyrics by Agustín Irusta and Roberto Fugazot) at Les Ambassadeurs. On Canaro's recommendation he formed the trio Irusta-Fugazot-Demare, which debuted in 1927 at the Teatro Maravillas in Madrid. The trio achieved considerable success throughout Spain and later across Latin America, recording for Victor in Barcelona (including piano-and-violin versions such as "Capricho de amor") and appearing in Spanish films, notably Boliche (in which Demare also acted as a blind musician). The group made its Buenos Aires debut in 1931 on Radio Stentor and at the Cine Broadway. During the European years Demare also prepared the tango "Dandy" for Carlos Gardel. The trio later reappeared briefly in Buenos Aires and collaborated with Canaro on the musical comedy Mal de amores.^[1][2][3]

After returning definitively to Argentina, Demare played piano for Canaro in Ivo Pelay's 1936 musical La patria del tango at the Teatro Buenos Aires. In 1938 he formed his own orchestra, initially in partnership with the violinist Elvino Vardaro; the group appeared on Radio Belgrano with Alfredo Calabró as lead bandoneon and Juan Carlos Miranda as vocalist. After the partnership with Vardaro ended, Demare continued alone. His first Odeon recordings, "La racha" and "Telón," were made on 13 June 1938. Through the early-to-mid 1940s the orchestra recorded approximately sixty to seventy sides for Odeon, featuring Miranda, then Raúl Berón (who joined in 1943 and recorded some twenty-five titles), Horacio Quintana and, briefly, others. The typical lineup included bandoneonists such as Máximo Mori (who also arranged), Oscar Capurro, Nicolás Pepe and Santiago Coppola; violinists Raúl Kaplún, Carlos Arnaiz, Renato Lencione and others; and double-bass players Oscar Roma or Mario Monteleone. The orchestra performed regularly on Radio El Mundo and undertook interior tours. Later recordings appeared on Columbia, TK, Artfono and Disc Jockey, including piano solos and further vocal sides with Armando Garrido and Héctor Alvarado.^[1][3][5]

As a composer Demare produced a large catalogue that spans the romantic tango of the late 1920s and the more introspective works of the 1940s. Early successes include "Dandy," "Mañanitas de Montmartre," "Capricho de amor," "Mi musa campera," "Sorbos amargos" and "Pa' mí es igual." With Homero Manzi he wrote "Malena," "Mañana zarpa un barco," "Telón," "Hermana," "Solamente ella" and "Tal vez será su voz" (originally "Tal vez será mi alcohol," adjusted under censorship). Other notable pieces are "Negra María," "Dónde," "La calle sin sueño," "Florcita" and instrumental works such as "Sentimiento tanguero." His piano style is frequently described as intimate and designs-oriented, with a clear, singing touch that remained recognizable whether he was accompanying a singer or performing solo. Film work was equally important: he scored many pictures directed by his brother Lucas, among them El viejo Hucha (1942, in which "Malena" was introduced), La guerra gaucha (1942, which received municipal and academy awards for its music), Su mejor alumno, Pampa bárbara and others, beginning as early as Ya tiene comisario el pueblo (1936). The orchestra itself appeared in Sangre y acero (1955).^[1][2][3]

In the 1950s and 1960s Demare increasingly performed as a solo pianist or in small combinations (sometimes with Ciriaco Ortiz or Máximo Mori) in Buenos Aires nightclubs. He operated the short-lived boîte Palitos 85 on Cangallo and later the tanguería Malena al Sur in San Telmo. He died in Buenos Aires on 6 March 1974. His legacy rests on the combination of a distinctive piano voice, a body of compositions that entered the permanent repertoire, a substantial recorded orchestral legacy from the golden-age years, and a significant contribution to the musical identity of Argentine cinema.^[1][2][5]

Early life, jazz years and the European trio

Trained by his father, cousin Luis Riccardi and Vicente Scaramuzza, Demare performed professionally from childhood in cinemas and on river steamers before joining Nicolás Verona's and Eleuterio Iribarren's jazz bands (1922–1926). Summoned to Paris by Canaro in 1926, he formed the Irusta-Fugazot-Demare trio that debuted in Madrid in 1927, toured successfully in Europe and the Americas, recorded in Barcelona and appeared in Spanish films including Boliche. The trio debuted in Buenos Aires in 1931.^[1][2][4]

Return to Argentina and formation of the orchestra

After playing for Canaro in the 1936 musical La patria del tango, Demare partnered briefly with Elvino Vardaro in 1938 then led his own orchestra. First Odeon sides ("La racha," "Telón") appeared in June 1938. Through the mid-1940s the group, featuring Juan Carlos Miranda, Raúl Berón and Horacio Quintana, recorded extensively for Odeon and performed on Radio El Mundo. Arrangements were often by Máximo Mori; the piano remained a central, often subdued voice.^[1][3][5]

Compositions, style and film scores

Demare's compositions range from the early romantic tangos ("Dandy," "Mañanitas de Montmartre") to the Manzi collaborations of the 1940s ("Malena," "Mañana zarpa un barco," "Telón"). His piano writing is described as intimate and lyrical. He scored numerous films directed by his brother Lucas Demare, receiving official recognition for the music of La guerra gaucha and introducing "Malena" in El viejo Hucha.^[1][2][3]

Later years and recorded legacy

After the main Odeon period Demare recorded more sparingly for Columbia, TK and other labels, increasingly as solo pianist. He maintained nightclub appearances and ran venues in Buenos Aires until his death in 1974. Compilations and reissues continue to document the approximately sixty-to-seventy Odeon orchestra sides of the golden-age years.^[1][5]