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Song

Pipistrela

"Pipistrela" is a tango with music by Juan Canaro and lyrics by Fernando Cesar Ochoa [1][2]. Its earliest known recording is by Francisco Canaro with Ernesto Famá, dated 17 October 1933 [1].

Who recorded it

Every version1

Earliest we hold: Francisco Canaro, 1933

  1. Francisco CanaroErnesto Famá1933

Versions of Pipistrela recorded 1933

"Pipistrela" is a work in the tango genre [1]. Both works databases credit the music to Juan Canaro and the lyrics to Fernando Cesar Ochoa, who is given as Fernando Ochoa on one of the pages [1][2].

One work page lists the year 1933 for the piece, but it does not say whether this is a composition, publication or premiere date [2]. The earliest dated recording in another listing is from 17 October 1933 [1]. That listing records 5 performances and 14 tracks of the work [1].

The song

The piece as people name it, whoever plays it.

1 orchestra recorded it

1 Dance filmed to it

History

The sources do not give a reliable composition or premiere year for "Pipistrela" [1][2]. One work page shows the year 1933 next to the title without saying what the year refers to [2]. The earliest known recording is dated 17 October 1933 [1]. This date is a recording date and not a documented premiere [1].

Composers and lyricist

The music is credited to Juan Canaro [1][2]. The lyrics are credited to Fernando Cesar Ochoa [1]. One work page gives the lyricist's name in the shorter form Fernando Ochoa [2].

Recordings

A works database lists 5 performances and 14 tracks of "Pipistrela" [1]. The dated performances it lists include the following:

  • Francisco Canaro orchestra with Ernesto Famá, 17 October 1933, the earliest known recording [1]
  • Tita Merello, 1956 [1]
  • Francisco Canaro orchestra with Tita Merello, 14 June 1956 [1]

The Tita Merello entry for 1956 and the Francisco Canaro with Tita Merello entry dated 14 June 1956 appear separately in the listing [1]. The source does not say whether they are the same recording [1].

1 recordings · our catalogue, dances filmed on TangoTube · 4 more we know of

a version people dance tono Dances matched yet: something to listen to

Choose A and B on two recordings to hear them one after the other.

  1. Francisco CanaroEarliest we holdMost dancedPipistrelaFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeonMeasured automatically · 125 BPM · C# minor
    1 dance
    1933
  2. Tita MerelloNot in our catalogue1956
  3. Francisco CanaroNot in our catalogueTita Merello · Jun 141956
  4. Tita MerelloNot in our catalogue
  5. Soledad VillamilNot in our catalogue
All recordings of Pipistrela

Who wrote it

Music
Juan Canaro
Words
not yet cited · help fill it
Written
not yet cited · help fill it
First played
not yet cited · help fill it

Source: TangoCloud catalogue

Lyrics

Español · Underlined words are lunfardo: tap one for its meaning.

El botón de la esquina de casa, cuando salgo a barrera la vedera, se me acerca el canalla y me dice: '¡Pts! ¡Pipistrela! ¡Pts! ¡Pipistrela!' Tengo un coso ar mercao que me mira, que es un 'e crioyo; yo le pongo lo' ojo' p'arriba y endemientra le pianto un repoyo. Me llaman la Pipistrela y yo me dejo llamar; es mejor pasar por gila si una es viva de verdá. Soy una con clase, manyen qué linda mujer... ¡La pinta que Dios me ha dado, la tengo que hacer valer! Ya estoy seca de tantos mucamos, cocineros, botones y guardas; yo me paso la vida esperando y no llega... el ... Yo quisiera tener mucho pa'comprarme o sombrero y zapato, añaparme algún coso del centro pa' dejar esta manga de patos...

English · machine translation

The button on the corner of the house, when I go out to barrier the vedera, the scoundrel comes up to me and says: 'Pts! Pipistrela! Pts! Pipistrela!' I have a guy in the market who looks at me, who's a big, fat kid; I give him the eye upwards and in the meantime I give him a stick. They call me the Pipistrella and I let myself be called; it's better to pass for a gila if one is really alive. I'm a girl with class, manyen what a beautiful woman... The look that God has given me, I have to make it count! I'm already dry from so many mucamos, cooks, bellboys and guards; I spend my life waiting and it doesn't come... the otarian... I wish I had a lot of wind to buy me a hat and a shoe, to add me to some place downtown to leave this bunch of ducks...

One recording

A dated take, with its sound and the couples dancing it.

Francisco Canaro

PipistrelaFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeon
Open this recording

No couple filmed dancing this recording yet

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References

How Tangopedia works

  1. Pipistrela (tango.info work page) · tango.info“Composer | Juan Canaro | Lyricist | Fernando Cesar Ochoa”
  2. Pipistrela (Todo Tango work page) · todotango.com“Pipistrela Tango 1933 Música: Juan Canaro Letra: Fernando Ochoa”

What we don't know yet3 of 4 known

The year it was written.

Data: recordings, facts and sources

Composer1

Composed by Juan Canaro

In other catalogues2

tango.info · T0370073985

TodoTango · tema/1139

Listen

  1. PipistrelaFrancisco CanaroErnesto FamátangoOdeon

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