Tango in 1916

The sources gathered for 1916 cover politics, musicians' biographies, the history of a single composition and a discography of recordings dated to that year ^[1][4][6]. Politically, 1916 ended the long rule of the conservative Partido Autonomista Nacional, which had governed Argentina without alternation between 1874 and 1916 on the basis of electoral fraud ^[1]. A law of secret and compulsory voting, for men only, passed under political and union pressure, gave victory to the Radical party that year ^[1].

In music, much of the material for the year concerns Roberto Firpo. One source places him at the café La Giralda in Montevideo, where he gave “La cumparsita”, by the Uruguayan Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez, its first performance ^[5]. Another source dates that premiere to 1917 and attributes the 1916 date to an error in record numbering, so the year remains disputed ^[4]. A discography lists more than a dozen titles recorded by Firpo with a 1916 date, as well as one side by Celestino Ferrer ^[6].

Other entries for the year include the birth of Horacio Salgán on 15 June 1916 ^[3], Eduardo Arolas's move to Montevideo ^[2], and a newspaper item of 22 March 1916 about a young criollo singer ^[10].

A source on Carlos Gardel describes the political control of the Abasto neighbourhood of Buenos Aires by the Traverso brothers, led by Constancio ^[1]. They acted on behalf of the Partido Autonomista Nacional, the conservative party founded by Julio Argentino Roca ^[1]. According to the same source, that party governed the country without alternation between 1874 and 1916 on the basis of electoral fraud ^[1].

The same source states that political and union pressure had forced the conservative government to approve a law of secret and compulsory voting, applying only to men ^[1]. In 1916 this law gave victory to the Radical party, described as a widely popular movement, which brought Hipólito Yrigoyen to the presidency ^[1].

The source on Gardel also records that José Ricardo, known as El Negro José, was hired in 1916 and remained until May 1929 ^[1]. He is described as an Afro-Argentine musician born in the Balvanera neighbourhood of Buenos Aires and as “the first” of the musicians the source discusses at that point ^[1].

Horacio Adolfo Salgán was born in Buenos Aires on 15 June 1916 and died there on 19 August 2016 ^[3]. He was an Argentine pianist, composer and orchestra leader ^[3]. The source describing him calls him one of the leading figures of tango and one of the initiators of so-called “tango de vanguardia” ^[3]. He was born near the Mercado de Abasto into a traditional family of Afro-porteño descent ^[3].

Eduardo Arolas decided in 1916 to go into self-imposed exile in Montevideo ^[2]. One account attributes the move to a romantic problem: his wife had deceived him with his older brother ^[2]. A separate biography states that between 1913 and 1916, after studying solfège and harmony, Arolas produced pieces including “Delia”; the remainder of the list is not given in the material available ^[9].

The Montevideo newspaper “El Día”, on 22 March 1916, published a news item beginning “We had the chance of hearing the young criollo singer”; the singer's name is not preserved in the available extract ^[10].

“La cumparsita” is credited to the Uruguayan Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez ^[5]. One source calls it “the best-known tango of all time” ^[5]. Firpo's biography describes it as the piece that “would become the tango of all tangos” ^[7].

Sources differ on the year of its premiere ^[4][5]. One source states that Firpo premiered it at the café La Giralda in Montevideo in 1916 and notes that the year is a matter of debate ^[5]. A Firpo biography likewise places the premiere in Montevideo in 1916 ^[7]. A statement dated 1952 and quoted in a biography of Matos Rodríguez also gives 1916: “In 1916 I went to Montevideo with my orchestra, and there I premiered” the tango ^[8]. Another source gives 1917 for the premiere at La Giralda and says that the 1916 date sometimes cited comes from an error in the numbering of the records ^[4].

Firpo's own recollection, as quoted in his biography, sets the scene at La Giralda ^[7]. He recalled that a man arrived with about fifteen young men, all students, who had brought a little march ^[7]. They wanted him to arrange it because they thought there was a tango inside it ^[7].

One source states that Firpo made the oldest recording of the piece, on Odeón 483 ^[5]. A discography lists Firpo's “La cumparsita” under the identifier T0370000024 with the date 1916, and also with the more precise date September 1916 ^[6]. These dates indicate the earliest known recording in that listing, not a confirmed premiere date ^[4][6].

A discography lists the following tango and vals sides by Roberto Firpo with the date 1916 ^[6]:

- “Ando pato” (tango), T0370111208, listed with a duration of 02:57 ^[6] - “Corazón de artista” (vals), T0370183951 ^[6] - “El distinguido ciudadano” (tango), T0370090940 ^[6] - “El espiante” (tango), T0370011554 ^[6] - “El flete” (tango), T0370013005 ^[6] - “Entre dos fuegos” (tango), T0370140058 ^[6] - “La cumparsita” (tango), T0370000024, dated 1916 and also 1916-09 ^[6] - “La trilla” (tango), T0370028855 ^[6] - “Lo que está bien...ta bien” (tango), T0370016695 ^[6] - “Lágrimas” (tango), T0370016128 ^[6] - “Montevideo” (tango), T0370160987 ^[6] - “Nueve de julio” (tango), T0370000091 ^[6] - “Una partida” (tango), T0370138503 ^[6]

The same listing includes one 1916 side by another performer ^[6]:

- “Racing Club” (tango), recorded by Celestino Ferrer, T0370074353 ^[6]

The listing gives these dates as recording dates ^[6]. For “La cumparsita”, one source warns that record numbering has caused confusion about the year ^[4].

According to a chronicle of the tango-canción, Castriota had premiered a new number during 1916, “Lita”, published by Juan Balerio ^[10]. That chronicle is the only source given for this date ^[10].

Arolas's compositional output for the years 1913 to 1916 includes “Delia”, according to his biography; the extract does not list the other titles or their individual years ^[9].