- From El Portal Del Tango
we pay homage to one of the most important feminine artist of tango.
-
Ada
Falcón was born in Buenos Aires, on August 17th, 1905. She was Amanda
Falcon’s and the popular singer Adhelma Falcon’s sister. Mezzo-soprano
singer and the owner of a very dramatic accent , in 1916 she begun
with music at the age 11 in a children company, in the “Teatro Apolo”;
(“Apollo theatre”), she was considered to be a precocious girl, on
those times, she didn’t sing tangos, but Spanish ditties, she already
had a pseudonym: "La Joyita Argentina", (“The Argentinean Jewell”).
In 1919 she appeared on a film of the silent period called "El Festín
de los Caranchos", (“The caranchos´s banquet”) as for his premiere in
the album it was in 1925. She recorded for Victor Company accompanied
by Osvaldo Fresedo´s orchestra , four songs: "Oro y seda", (“Gold and
silk”), "Pobre chica", (“Poor girl”), "Casquivana" and "Risas de
Cabaret"; (“Laugh of cabaret”). Then, she recorded albums for ODEÓN
company ,seconded by Enrique Delfino and Héctor Stamponi´s group and
by Francisco Canaro´s orchestra. In 1929 the radio was the ambition of
all the songwriters so Ada performed on Radio, starting in this way
her promising career, Her popularity was increasing; she was the lead
figure of the film "Idolos de Radio", (“Radio idols”) in 1934; she
shared bill with Ignacio Corsini, and the rest of the staff was
formed : Olinda Bozán, Tita Merello, Tito Lusiardo and José Ramirez.
The salary for her work was really good, a fortune, for those time,
due to her popularity, personality and professionalism. She lived in
Palermo chico in a large house of 3 floors; she was surrounded by
the luxury, the furs and her “fatal woman” style, to all this it was
added the mystery that her personality hide, this mystery was always
present , One day she decided to abandon all her luxuries; and in this
way all her mystery became a myth. She begun to move away from the
artistic environment with no explanations; she signed contracts and
then she ignored them , she locked in her house for a lot of time. And
in this way Ada Falcon’s career was declining, she left being
successful and she was accepted by the people. One day she decided not
to act anymore without giving any details of her departure . It was
said that she had spent hours, entire weeks, locked in her house ,
then she went out but dressed in black from head to feet , with turban
and white gloves. With this attire she arrived to the Church of
Pompeya, and she entered on her knees and she left it in the same way.
As for her professional life, in April of 1973, in the Magazine
¨Panorama¨, a journalist specialized in shows wrote : " On February
13th, 1926, it was commemorated in the”
"Teatro
de la ópera”; (“Theater of the Opera”), the forth “Great Dance” of
the Aviators. That night, Ada Falcon covered her shoulders with a
Manila shawl and she sang for the first time the tango "Besame in the
boca" (“Kiss me”) she was sixteen years old, green eyes and nothing
else but praises. In the year 1930 she had became in one of the
most important stars in Odeón company and her career included almost
fifteen monthly recordings... Francisco Canaro's orchestra accompanied
her. .. She made her version of "Secretos¨, (“Secrets”) by Enrique
Santos Discépolo and "La muchacha del centro"; (“Downtown girl”) by
Canaro and Pelay. For the year 1942, the mystery took her completely,
she said that she was nun and that she lived in a monastery, many
things were said then, certainly it was said that she was tertiary
sister , which meant to avoid the elegance , to abstain of dances
and dangerous shows, etc ..."She moved to Salsipuedes", Córdoba to a
small room, she opted to have a poor life just living with the
essential things to survive, her years went by in those conditions.
Ada, already away from the " artist environment ", then new feminine
voices arose and the time went by . In 1989 she came to Buenos Aires
she didn't arrive to any arrangement with the recording companies; it
was another time, the mysterious Ada was no longer the same of the one
of the ' 35: That shy girl in front of her people, of green eyes, that
for her ambitions, whims and extravagancies was once compared with
the big stars of Hollywood.
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