Carlos Viván

Miguel Rice Treacy, known artistically as Carlos Viván, was born on 15 April 1903 in Buenos Aires (San Telmo according to one account) to an Irish family and died on 16 July 1971 at the Hospital Británico in the same city.^[9][10][11] His perfect command of English secured him employment with the British-capitalized railway and later eased artistic work in the United States; the stage name itself arose in 1925 when the lyricist Enrique Dizeo, noting his elegance, called him a “maniquí vivant,” the final “t” later dropping to produce Viván.^[10][12] As a teenager he appeared with the Troupe Estudiantil at the Teatro Solís in Montevideo in 1923; two years later he debuted as a singer on Radio Nacional accompanied by Juan Maglio (Pacho).^[12] His first recording came in December 1927 with Juan Bautista Guido’s orchestra.^[9][13] He subsequently worked with Ricardo Luis Brignolo, Pedro Maffia, Antonio Bonavena, Osvaldo Fresedo, Edgardo Donato, and Roberto Firpo, but above all he became the refrain singer (estribillista) for Juan Maglio, contributing roughly 150 recorded sides across Nacional-Odeon and related labels between the late 1920s and mid-1930s.^[9][11] With Maffia he recorded, among others, “No me beses mujer” (1929) and his own “Cómo se pianta la vida” (1930).^[14] Possessed of a small, warm voice in the tenor-tenorino range common to the period, he carried an unmistakable vibrato that he later moderated with experience.^[9] An indefatigable traveler, he undertook numerous tours through Latin America, especially Brazil, and spent several years in the United States as crooner and tango singer; evidence includes the 20 April 1937 recording of “Lobo” (Ciriaco Ortiz–Luis Rubistein) with Terig Tucci’s orchestra.^[9][10] Between 1933 and 1938 he also appeared in New York Broadway-style revues that mixed Argentine tango with jazz elements and performed in Europe.^[12] In cinema he appeared in the 1935 Rio de Janeiro film Noches cariocas directed by Enrique Cadícamo, the earlier experimental Consejo de Tango (1932), and Canto de amor (1940).^[12] Returning to Argentina he joined Julio De Caro’s orchestra in 1943–1944, leaving five recordings, two of them in duet with Héctor Farrel.^[9][11] Beyond singing he composed widely successful pieces: “Hacelo por la vieja” (1929, with Héctor Bonatti and Sciammarella), “Cómo se pianta la vida,” “Moneda de cobre,” “Domani,” “Viviane de París,” “Se va el tren” (shimmy with Antonio Bonavena), “Palomita mía,” “Amiga,” “Nuestra noche,” “El barco María,” “Dolor de tango,” “Milonga para Gardel,” and “Triste mariposa,” among others written alone or with collaborators such as Cátulo Castillo, Horacio Sanguinetti, and Luis Rubistein.^[9][12] He claimed that Gardel had sung “Hacelo por la vieja” and “Cómo se pianta la vida” on Radio Belgrano but never recorded them because Viván had been urgently called to Mendoza; the two had become acquainted through work for Max Glücksmann’s Nacional label.^[12] In later years in Buenos Aires he sang in nightclubs imitating the jazz singer Al Jolson; a 1955 stroke left him temporarily debilitated, after which friends including SADAIC officials such as Santiago Adamini provided support.^[9][10] He remained a bachelor after a brief marriage, a heavy whisky drinker, and a devoted son whose mother’s death caused prolonged depression; frequent companions included Juan D’Arienzo, José Razzano, Aníbal Troilo, and Edmundo Rivero.^[9][10] Contemporary accounts remember him as a gentleman of humor and loyalty who moved easily between the worlds of radio, theater, cinema, and the recording studio across the transition from the Guardia Vieja into the golden age.

Born Miguel Rice Treacy on 15 April 1903 into an Irish family in Buenos Aires, Viván acquired English fluency that served both railway employment and later American work.^[9][10] The artistic surname originated with Enrique Dizeo’s affectionate “maniquí vivant” in 1925.^[12] Early stage experience included the 1923 Troupe Estudiantil at Montevideo’s Teatro Solís and the 1925 Radio Nacional debut with Maglio; the December 1927 Guido session marked his first commercial recording.^[9][12][13]

The bulk of Viván’s recorded legacy consists of roughly 150 sides as refrain singer with Juan Maglio’s orchestra on Nacional-Odeon and related labels from the late 1920s into the mid-1930s.^[9][11] Parallel work with Pedro Maffia produced Brunswick titles including his own “Cómo se pianta la vida” (1930) and “No me beses mujer” (1929), while shorter stints with Fresedo, Donato, Firpo, and Brignolo broadened his exposure.^[9][14] The characteristic early vibrato gradually moderated as he gained experience.

From the mid-1930s Viván traveled extensively through Brazil and the United States, working as both crooner and tango singer; the 20 April 1937 Tucci recording of “Lobo” documents the North American phase.^[9][10] Broadway-style revues in New York mixed Argentine flavor with jazz, and European dates occurred in the same period.^[12] Cinema appearances included the 1935 Cadícamo-directed Noches cariocas filmed in Rio and earlier experimental sound films.^[12]

The 1943–1944 association with Julio De Caro yielded five recordings, two in duet with Héctor Farrel.^[9][11] As composer Viván produced enduring titles such as “Hacelo por la vieja,” “Cómo se pianta la vida,” “Domani,” and “Milonga para Gardel.”^[9][12] A 1955 stroke interrupted activity; he recovered sufficiently to continue occasional nightclub work imitating Al Jolson until his death in 1971 at the Hospital Británico.^[9][10]