Inside Pugliese’s cooperative orchestra

Chapter 4 of Lavocah’s book corrects a common simplification: the 1939 orchestra was a co-operative, but its income was not divided equally ^[1]. Points rewarded musicians according to their contribution ^[1]. Pugliese’s politics provide the background, since he had joined the Communist Party in 1936, but membership was not a requirement and most players never joined ^[1][2].

Lavocah lists extra points for composition and arranging, points for longevity, and possible loss of points for a missed rehearsal ^[1][2]. The leader was not automatically the top earner: Ruggiero noted that he sometimes earned more than Pugliese, and Lydia Elman said that Pugliese’s share at his death was 16.5% ^[2]. Exact formulas are not given. The system had costs as well: Jorge Vidal, neither a composer nor an arranger and without seniority, drew a small share, one of the reasons for his leaving ^[3].

Lavocah says the reward for writing drew players who could also compose and arrange, feeding the group’s development ^[1]. Flor de tango (1945), by the violinist Julio Carrasco, starts a stream of members’ works in the Pugliese manner ^[4]. A search of SADAIC registrations turns up many otherwise unknown works by members, clustered in the difficult period from late 1948 to mid-1949 ^[5].

When Roberto Peppe brought his arrangement of El refrán to rehearsal, Pugliese, Ruggiero and Balcarce all marked it up, until Peppe joked that only the paper remained his ^[6]. Pugliese changed Plaza’s introduction to La mariposa seven times, and Lavallén’s Gallo ciego was reshaped by other members ^[7][8]. Zum (1973) was a joint arrangement by Mosalini, Penón and Pugliese ^[9]. Emilio Balcarce summed this up as ownership by the players in deed, not word ^[2].

Longevity had a musical logic: rubatos and suspensions could not be written down, so the style depended on long acquaintance ^[1][10]. Cellist Quique Lannoo described having to anticipate each player’s attack, and said needing three months to master the repertoire, since sheet music was barred on stage ^[11][12]. Rehearsals in the early days were daily, and Roberto Álvarez remembered three hours on eight bars ^[13]. Lavocah reports, but could not trace, the story of two days spent on a couple of bars ^[13]. Mederos said that no session musician could play this music ^[13].

Lavocah argues that this bond let the group survive six months without its director in 1955 ^[2]. Oscar Herrero remembered a shared determination under persecution ^[14]. Yet the pressure divided them: some were too frightened to attend a 1948 meeting, Chanel left and could not return, and Jaime Tursky, the group’s treasurer, may have been driven out by anti-Semitic remarks, although Lavocah calls the details sketchy ^[15][14]. Spitalnik, a committed communist, was reportedly ignored until he agreed not to discuss politics, and the 1959 tour sharpened divisions between communists and others ^[16][17]. Morán said he learned democracy there but left feeling underappreciated ^[18].

Troilo told Alcides Rossi he would earn more with Pugliese because of the co-operative ^[19]. Fellow prisoners at Devoto in 1954, particularly workers from Avellaneda, wanted to hear how the orchestra was organised, according to Saul Cascallar ^[20]. Commercial terms were another matter: Odeon’s 4% royalty pushed Pugliese toward his own label, Stentor, which was raided in 1961 ^[21][22]. Lavocah notes that it was the 1968 failure of work for large groups that undid the old arrangement: the sextet meant to sustain the orchestra instead took away its core ^[23].

In 2001 a reprinted devotional card of San Pugliese carried a prayer asking that misfortune not be the only co-operative act ^[24]. Lavocah also notes that the IMPA factory near Pugliese’s barrio, where he had played, has itself become a co-operative ^[25].