November
26th, 2001: 113th Anniversary of the birth of one of the most
important protagonist of tango. From... this modest homage to Canaro...
He was
born on November 26th, 1888, at 2:00 PM, in small town called San José
de Mayo situated in Uruguay. His father was an Italian immigrant called
Francisco Canaro and his mother was Rafaela Gatto, they had ten
children. He was a newspaper seller together with his brothers Rafael
and Juan. Since he was a little boy he did different activities to help
their parents in the economical situation they were going through. Since
he was very young, he felt something special for music, and he had such
a good voice that in the carnivals, he was a soloist singer. But his
real musical vocation began with his friendship with a neighbour, who
was a shoemaker called “Don Chicho”, and who lived and worked in a room
in his own house. This man played the guitar a little bit and seeing the
boy’s interest began giving him his first knowledge’s, and with
dedication and perseverance learnt all the guitar tones, and in a short
time he was able to accompany some friends who played the violin and the
mandolin. He acquired a lot of experience in the accompaniment. They
frequently gave serenades and played in the all-family meetings that in
those times it was forbidden to play tangos. But later on the tango
would begin to be played more freely. In the year 1906 he debuted, with
his typical group of violin, mandolin and guitar, in a small town of
Buenos Aires, called General Paz, which station was denominated
“Ranchos” the trio was constituted in this way: Francisco Canaro in
violin; Martin Arrevillaga, in Mandolin and Rodolfo Duclós in guitar.
Later on, in 1910, he integrated Vicente Greco's group. Then he formed a
new trio with the bandoneon player Pedro Polito and the piano player
José Martínez; with the time this group became the first Pirincho´s
orchestra base, when being added Rafael Rinaldi as second violin and
Leopoldo Thompson in the double bass. In their beginnings the group was
denominated Canaro-Martínez and since 1916, when they were hired to
perform in the cabaret Montmartre, it was just called Francisco Canaro.
In 1917 and 1918 he associated with Roberto Firpo to perform in the
“Teatro Colón” situated in Rosario, Santa Fé, during the carnivals.
Both groups united under the name Firpo-Canaro. The best
instrumentalists played in that orchestra under the direction of these
two teachers. In 1915 Canaro began recording. His name was one of the
most important in the gender. For that time he had already formed three
orchestras and he directed them jointly with his brothers. The most
important musicians played in his orchestras. In 1925 he carried out his
first visit to Europe and he played in Paris with an extraordinary
success. Since then it began to rain tours for him. He played in the
United States and in Japan. Francisco Canaro was also the instigator of
the musical comedies next to the lyricist Ivo Pelay. . He also intruded
in the cinema as a producer, but this was not in fact his strong point.
In spite of having serious ups and downs in this project, he produced a
considerable number of movies. In 1940 he was nationalized Argentinean,
according to him, in gratitude to all the things Argentina had given to
him. He was persevering to take out ahead the institutions that protect
the artists. As a composer Canaro registered more than three hundred
songs. Among his compositions were: “Sentimiento gaucho” (Gaucho
feeling); “Nueve puntos” (Nine points); “El halcón negro” (The black
hawk); “El pollito” (The chicken); “La última copa” (The last glass);
“Madreselva” (Honeysuckle) and “Tiempos viejos” (Old times). He died in
Buenos Aires, on December 14th, 1964.
His first violin
He was an adolescent when he began working in factory which manufactured
can of oil. His musical vocation encouraged him to build a precarious
violin with one of the containers that he manufactured. With a wooden
mast he made the pitch and also made a precarious arch, a friend of him
nicknamed "el tuerto baboso" helped him, he spent several hours
studying with the instrument which he had built himself, he learnt
several pieces; he had a repertory of tangos, valses, mazurkas and
lancers, and the first tango that he learnt to play was "El llorón"
(The whiner), the case of the violin was manufactured by his mother,
with a pretty lining which had a case form. It was good for him to begin
and to learn the basic things with his precarious violin until a real
violin could be bought.
Francisco Canaro said in his autobiographical book, “My memoirs”: “I
think I am still in debt with tango, because in my point of view tango
doesn't owe me anything. And do I owe him everything: my name, my
prestige, my situation and …Why do I have to deny it? The realization of
my most beautiful dreams and the glory, the supreme and magnificent
illusion that it is something similar as a rainbow that, helps the
artists who with arduous sacrifices and against all odds have known how
to fight for an ideal.”
He was
born on November 26th, 1888, at 2:00 PM, in small town called San José
de Mayo situated in Uruguay. His father was an Italian immigrant called
Francisco Canaro and his mother was Rafaela Gatto, they had ten
children. He was a newspaper seller together with his brothers Rafael
and Juan. Since he was a little boy he did different activities to help
their parents in the economical situation they were going through. Since
he was very young, he felt something special for music, and he had such
a good voice that in the carnivals, he was a soloist singer. But his
real musical vocation began with his friendship with a neighbour, who
was a shoemaker called “Don Chicho”, and who lived and worked in a room
in his own house. This man played the guitar a little bit and seeing the
boy’s interest began giving him his first knowledge’s, and with
dedication and perseverance learnt all the guitar tones, and in a short
time he was able to accompany some friends who played the violin and the
mandolin. He acquired a lot of experience in the accompaniment. They
frequently gave serenades and played in the all-family meetings that in
those times it was forbidden to play tangos. But later on the tango
would begin to be played more freely. In the year 1906 he debuted, with
his typical group of violin, mandolin and guitar, in a small town of
Buenos Aires, called General Paz, which station was denominated
“Ranchos” the trio was constituted in this way: Francisco Canaro in
violin; Martin Arrevillaga, in Mandolin and Rodolfo Duclós in guitar.
Later on, in 1910, he integrated Vicente Greco's group. Then he formed a
new trio with the bandoneon player Pedro Polito and the piano player
José Martínez; with the time this group became the first Pirincho´s
orchestra base, when being added Rafael Rinaldi as second violin and
Leopoldo Thompson in the double bass. In their beginnings the group was
denominated Canaro-Martínez and since 1916, when they were hired to
perform in the cabaret Montmartre, it was just called Francisco Canaro.
In 1917 and 1918 he associated with Roberto Firpo to perform in the
“Teatro Colón” situated in Rosario, Santa Fé, during the carnivals.
Both groups united under the name Firpo-Canaro. The best
instrumentalists played in that orchestra under the direction of these
two teachers. In 1915 Canaro began recording. His name was one of the
most important in the gender. For that time he had already formed three
orchestras and he directed them jointly with his brothers. The most
important musicians played in his orchestras. In 1925 he carried out his
first visit to Europe and he played in Paris with an extraordinary
success. Since then it began to rain tours for him. He played in the
United States and in Japan. Francisco Canaro was also the instigator of
the musical comedies next to the lyricist Ivo Pelay. . He also intruded
in the cinema as a producer, but this was not in fact his strong point.
In spite of having serious ups and downs in this project, he produced a
considerable number of movies. In 1940 he was nationalized Argentinean,
according to him, in gratitude to all the things Argentina had given to
him. He was persevering to take out ahead the institutions that protect
the artists. As a composer Canaro registered more than three hundred
songs. Among his compositions were: “Sentimiento gaucho” (Gaucho
feeling); “Nueve puntos” (Nine points); “El halcón negro” (The black
hawk); “El pollito” (The chicken); “La última copa” (The last glass);
“Madreselva” (Honeysuckle) and “Tiempos viejos” (Old times). He died in
Buenos Aires, on December 14th, 1964.
