Tango in 1920

The year 1920 appears in the dossier mainly through recordings dated to that year and through biographical details about several musicians ^[3][1]. The recording listing for 1920 is dominated by Roberto Firpo. It also includes a dense series of dated sessions by an ensemble credited as Típica Select and a group of vocal sides credited to José Ricardo with Carlos Gardel, some with José Razzano ^[3].

Other performers in the 1920 listing include the orchestras or ensembles of Francisco Canaro, Juan Félix Maglio, Osvaldo Fresedo, Enrique Delfino and Juan Carlos Cobián. The listing also includes the singers Azucena Maizani and Rosita Quiroga, the Orquesta Típica Porteña and the Quinteto Criollo Atlana under Astor Bolognini ^[3]. The dates in the listing are recording dates. They are not composition or premiere dates ^[3].

The biographical record for 1920 centres on Carlos Gardel. The sources refer to a nationality certificate he obtained that year from the Uruguayan consulate in Buenos Aires. Sources differ on the birth year recorded in it ^[1]. The dossier also covers his association with the poet Celedonio Flores ^[1], a 1920 voyage to France by Eduardo Arolas ^[4], and a chronicle that treats 1920 as the close of a stage in tango's history ^[5].

According to a biography of Carlos Gardel, in 1920 he applied to the Uruguayan consulate in Buenos Aires for a certificate of nationality and an identity card. In these documents he declared that he had been born in Tacuarembó, Uruguay ^[1].

The same source describes these Uruguayan and Argentine documents, processed by Gardel in 1920 and 1923, as the main documentary evidence for what it calls the “hipótesis uruguayista.” It states that their authenticity is not in dispute ^[1]. The source also says the 1920 document was an official declaration by Gardel himself before the consulate, not an original birth certificate written at the time of birth ^[1].

Sources differ on the birth date recorded in the 1920 documents. One passage gives Gardel's declared birth date as 11 December 1887 in Tacuarembó, and names his parents as Carlos Gardel and María Gardel ^[1]. Another passage describes a document catalogued as folio 907 of a Uruguayan consulate archive in Buenos Aires. It identifies this as a certificate issued on 8 October 1920, in which Gardel appears as born on 11 December 1883 in Tacuarembó ^[1]. This article records both versions as disputed ^[1].

The Gardel biography also states that his private correspondence contains extensive evidence about Isabel del Valle. It describes her as a 13-year-old girl with whom Gardel became connected in 1920, and with whom he kept an ambiguous relationship until 1933 ^[1].

For his professional career, the biography states that Gardel discovered the poet Celedonio Flores in 1920 and had already recorded Flores's “Margot” ^[1]. It adds that in this period the duo added a second guitarist, Guillermo Barbieri. According to the same source, in 1923 Gardel introduced the tango “Mano a mano,” with lyrics by Flores. This article reports that date as the source's account only ^[1].

The same biography gives a figure for 1920 of six out of twenty-four (25%), compared with eight out of twenty-two (30%) in 1921. The excerpt does not state what is being counted ^[1].

A biography of Eduardo Arolas states that in 1920 he embarked for France and, shortly afterwards, returned to Buenos Aires for the last time ^[4]. A chronicle of the period describes 1920 as “the final clause of this stage” ^[5].

The Spanish-language biography of Francisco Canaro describes its subject as a pioneer of jazz in the mid-1920s, together with René Cóspito and Eleuterio Yribarren ^[2].

The listing also contains a second entry for “Gran Hotel Victoria | Hotel Victoria” in 1920 with no identified performer ^[3].

The listing also credits Carlos Gardel alone with “Jujeña,” labelled tonada, in 1920 ^[3]. A discography from a Gardel foundation states that Gardel recorded “A mi madre” again in 1920 under the new title “Pobre madre.” It notes that “A mi madre” was a very common title or subtitle at the time ^[6].

Other singers in the 1920 listing are Azucena Maizani, with the tango “Alma en pena” ^[3], and Rosita Quiroga, with the tango “Julián” ^[3]. Osvaldo Fresedo's 1920 recording of “Corrientes y Esmeralda” is credited with Héctor Pacheco ^[3].

Several titles appear in more than one 1920 recording in the listing ^[3]. “Milonguita” was recorded by José Ricardo with Carlos Gardel, by Roberto Firpo, and by Típica Select on 25 August 1920 ^[3]. “Muñequita” was recorded by José Ricardo with Gardel and by Típica Select on 30 August 1920 ^[3]. “Carne de cabaret” appears as a canción with Gardel and as a tango with Firpo ^[3].

“Nobleza de arrabal” was recorded by Firpo and by Típica Select ^[3]. “Nueve puntos” was recorded by Canaro and by Típica Select ^[3]. “A la gran muñeca” was recorded by Firpo and by Típica Select ^[3]. “Corrientes y Esmeralda” appears for both Fresedo and Típica Select, but under different work codes in the listing ^[3]. These dates are recording dates and should not be read as premiere or composition years ^[3].

A chronicle on the tango-canción states that “Milonguita” was released in 1920. It adds that by then four years had passed, and the melody and lyrics of “Mi noche triste” were already well established with the public ^[7]. The same chronicle cites the book “El tango en la sociedad porteña 1880-1920” by Hugo Lamas and Enrique Binda. According to the chronicle, the book confirms Contursi's authorship but considers his lyrics of little value ^[7].