Francisco Canaro
The figure of Francisco Canaro dominates tango music from 1916 to 1935.
Perhaps the most popular tango artist ever, his discography weighs in at over 3700 entries.
As a musician Canaro was average but as an artistic director he was accomplished, disciplined and innovative.
He knew better than anyone how to read the pulse of the public and this was the key to his popularity and his success - he was phenomenally wealthy, richer than Gardel.
In a way, Canaro had no real style of his own, no musical vision to imprint. But this doesn't detract from his importance to the history of tango music. To give you an idea, here is a little list of Canaro's "firsts":
- 1916 - replaces the flute with the double bass of Leopoldo Thomson, thus creating, along with Roberto Firpo, the Sexteto Típico (traditional sextet).
- 1920 - hires an arranger for his orchestra (Luís Riccardi). His style is the beginning of the end of the guardia vieja.
- 1921 - puts together a 32 piece orchestra for the carnival dance, including cellos.
- 1924 - introduces the estrebillista (refrain singer).
- 1924 - Canaro and Firpo extend the line of bandoneons and violins, expanding the sextet into the Orquesta Típica.
- 1933 - first recording of a milonga by a tango orchestra (Milonga Sentimental)
With the arrival first of D'Arienzo and then Troilo and the golden decade of the fourties, Canaro's importance wanes. We could say that his contribution to tango music ends with the decade of the thirties. His tangos from the twenties are extraordinarily innovative, his milongas from the thirties are full of excitement, but his fourties material - especially the tangos - is left behind by the artists that came after him.
Canaro on CD
Canaro, like other orchestras with a populist bent, recorded many valses and milongas and you'll want some in your collection.
Bailando Tangos, Valses y Milongas
Reliquias 595159
With seven valses and six milongas (count them!), this cd outclasses the old favourite EBCD-30 on El Bandoneón and is the cd of choice for beginning a collection of Canaro's music - even if the cover isn't as nice.
normal UK selling price: £10.49
our price: £8
Track list
- Retintin
- Pampa
- Maleva
- Quiero verte una vez más
- Desde el alma vals
- Corazón de oro vals
- Tres jolie (muy lindo) vals
- Etincelles vals
- Milonga de mis amores milonga
- Reliquias porteñas milonga
- Milonga de antano milonga
- Milongón milonga
- Pimienta
- Sentimiento gaucho
- El tigre
- Amor y primavera vals
- Dolores vals
- Aclamación vals
- Historia sentimental milonga
- Milonga de mis tiempos milonga
Cantan:
Roberto Maida; (1,3-16,26); Ernesto Famá (18-25); Instrumental (2,17)
Poema
Suramusic FR002
This fabulous cd takes a narrow slice through Canaro's career, presenting only recordings made between March and September of 1935. At this time. Canaro's singer was Roberto Maida. Whilst less well remembered than the singer who followed him in Canaro's orchestra, Ernesto Famá, Maida's tenderness and sensitivity made him a great match for the orchestra on this period, as exmplified in the title track Poema, which appears here for the first time on cd.
Our price: £12
To bring you this cd we had to conclude a new distribution deal with the cd's publisher, Suramusic, who are a small Argentine label.
For this reason there are no economies of scale and the cd is more expensive than our other Argentine cds.
We're sorry about this, but at the same time we are very pleased to be able to offer you this fabulous cd.
Track list
- No hay que hacerse mala sangre
- Alma de bandoneón
- Cambalache
- Ciego
- Soledad
- Noches de Buenos Aires
- Cogote
- Sueño de muñeca vals
- Poema mp3
- Hotel Victoria
- De puro guapo
- Aunque no lo crean
- Casas viejas
- Tú y yo vals
- La copla porteña
- El buey solo
Cantan:
Roberto Maida (1-9,11-15)
Instrumental (10,16)
La Cumparsita - Tango Argentino (26 Original Mono Recordings 1935-1940)
Living Era 5456
Another stunning album of Canaro recordings from the late 1930s, most featuring Roberto Maida, about whom we've raved above.
The tracks mostly appear in strict chronological order, except for the opening and closing track.
In this cd we can also hear some of Canaro's experimentation with new rhythms: the irresistible tangón of the opening track - something between a milonga and a tango in feeling - which he reworks in El porteño.
Our price: £10
Track list
- Tangón nuevo danza
- La cumparsita
- Ojos negros
- Noches de Buenos Aires
- Casas viejas
- La copla porteña
- Horizontes
- Donde
- Yo también soñé
- Las doce menos cinco
- Envidia
- Como te quiero
- El porteño nuevo tangón
- Milagro
- Recuerdos de París
- Cuando el corazón
- Lorenzo
- Tormenta
- Vanidad
- Lo pasao… pasó
- Y no puede ser
- Quiero verte una vez más
- Al subir… al bajar
- Que es lo que tiene la fulana?
- Misterio!
- Adiós muchachos
Cantan:
Roberto Maida; (1,3-16,26); Ernesto Famá (18-25); Instrumental (2,17)
los grandes orquestas del tango - 40 grandes éxitos
BMT 601
A superb double album of Canaro's early works covering the late 20s and the 1930s. Read more about this cd on the los grandes orquestas catalogue page.
Our price: £17
Track list
Disc One
- A media luz;
- Organito de la tarde;
- El pañuelito;
- La última copa;
- Milonga sentimental milonga;
- El acomodo;
- El chamuyo;
- Charamusca;
- Hotel Victoria;
- Mi noche triste;
- Milonguita;
- El adiós;
- Milonga brava milonga;
- La maleva;
- No hay tierra como la mía milonga;
- El entrerriano;
- Felicia;
- La morocha;
- Don Juan;
- Chiqué
Cantan:
Charlo (4); Ernesto Famá - Angel Ramos (5); Roberto Maida (11,12,13); Ernesto Famá (15); Ada Falcón (18)
Disc Two
- Nueve de julio;
- Pájaro azul;
- La tablada;
- Nobleza de arrabal;
- El gavilan;
- La guitarrita;
- Alma de bohemio;
- Sentimiento gaucho;
- El pollito;
- Inspiración;
- Halcon negro;
- Ahí va el dulce;
- La cumparsita;
- Desde el alma vals;
- Milonga de mis amores milonga;
- Pampa;
- Retintin;
- Reliquias porteñas milonga;
- Lorenzo;
- Re fa si
Quinteto Pirincho
In 1937, in parallel with the activities of his orchestra, Canaro started a studio group dedicated to the guardia vieja.
This group was the Quinteto Don Pancho, which from mid 1940 was known as the Quinteto Pirincho.
There are four great cds of the Quinteto Pirincho on Reliquias, as well as a milonga cd shared with Roberto Firpo, Las milongas más milonga. You could do a lot worse than collect them all but if you want only one I still advise you to get EBCD-03 on El Bandoneón.
I love Canaro - give me more!
For nice cds of Canaro's fourties output listen to the CDs with Roberto Maida and Ernesto Famá - they're on the list below
Give me everything
I advise against collecting Canaro's fourties output wholesale - but don't let me stop you. There are twelve Canaro CDs altogether on Reliquias:
- EMI 837412 Desde el alma (1996)
- EMI 859018 Tangos inolvidables del 40 (1997)
- EMI 495360 Te acordás hermano? (1998)
- EMI 499972 Instrumentales para bailar (1999)
- EMI 499973 Los grandes tangos del 40 (1999)
- EMI 541690 Milongueando con Canaro (2002) - great milonga cd
- EMI 541691 Sus éxitos con Roberto Maida (2003) - contains Milonga criolla
- EMI 541692 Sus éxitos con Ernesto Famá (2002)
- EMI 595159 Bailando tangos, valses y milongas (2003)
- EMI 473886 Francisco Canaro - Instrumentales De Colección (2004)
- EMI 473887 Francisco Canaro - 20 Grandes Éxitos (2004)
- EMI 473888 Francisco Canaro - 20 Éxitos (2004)
- EMI 477600 Francisco Canaro - Francisco Canaro - El Tango De Buenos Aires (canta: Alberto Arenas) (2005)
There is also a cd of Canaro's waltzes on the todotango club.
Where next...
- Back to building a library
- Milonga home page