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Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez (March 28, 1897 – April 25, 1948), also known as Becho, was a Uruguayan musician, composer and journalist. Becho was not attributed to this Uruguayan musician. The term Becho is given to another Uruguayan violinist. A song is written about him and sung by Alfredo Zitarrosa: Carlos Julio Eizmendi
Uruguayan Violinist.
. It became one of the most recognizable tango pieces, though Matos was initially too shy to play the piece himself and it became well known through the performance of others. He travelled widely throughout Europe and stayed in Paris for a time, as well as working as Uruguayan consul to Germany. In 1931, he collaborated on the film score for ''Luces de Buenos Aires'', shot in
The most famous classic tango of all times is " La Cumparsita", written by Matos Rodríguez in 1916, with lyrics added later by Pascual Contursi and Enrique Pedro Maroni.
Todo Tango: Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
Background and early career
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez was born inMontevideo
Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...
, the son of the owner of the ''Moulin Rouge'', a popular local cabaret. He studied architecture, but did not complete the course. He began composing as a young student in 1917, and his first known work was " La Cumparsita", which he wrote on the piano of the Federación de Estudiantes of Urugua. It became one of the most recognizable tango pieces, though Matos was initially too shy to play the piece himself and it became well known through the performance of others. He travelled widely throughout Europe and stayed in Paris for a time, as well as working as Uruguayan consul to Germany. In 1931, he collaborated on the film score for ''Luces de Buenos Aires'', shot in
Joinville-le-Pont
Joinville-le-Pont () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
History
The commune was created in 1791 under the name La Branche-du-Pont-de-Saint-Maur (literally "The Branch of Saint-Mau ...
, France, and starring renowned tango vocalist Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential int ...
.
Principal compositions
The most famous classic tango of all times is " La Cumparsita", written by Matos Rodríguez in 1916, with lyrics added later by Pascual Contursi and Enrique Pedro Maroni. Roberto Firpo
Roberto Firpo (May 10, 1884June 14, 1969) was an Argentine tango pianist, composer, and leader. Firpo was among the first innovators of the classic tango music genre. He was the establisher of the piano in the tango orchestra.
Firpo was born i ...
, director and pianist of the orchestra that premiered the song, added parts of his tangos "La Gaucha Manuela" and "Curda Completa" to Matos' carnival march, resulting in "La Cumparsita".
Matos Rodríguez also composed pieces for theater plays premiered in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, among them Manuel Romero's ''El Gran Circo Rivolta''. He led his own tango orchestra in Montevideo for a short time afterwards.
Other tangos composed by him include: “Che papusa, oí”, “Son grupos”, “Yo tuve una novia”, “Cuando bronca el temporal”, “Hablame”, “Pobre corazón”, “Haceme caso a mí”, “Canto por no llorar”, “Rosa reseca”, “Botija linda”, “El pescador”, “Te fuiste, ¡ja, ja!”, “Adiós Argentina”, “Mi provinciana”, “La milonga azul”, “Dale celos”, “Raspail”, “Mocosita”, “La muchacha del circo”, and “San Telmo”. Rodríguez collaborated with the lyricists Enrique Cadícamo
Enrique Domingo Cadícamo ( Luján, Buenos Aires province, July 15, 1900 – Buenos Aires, December 3, 1999) was a prolific Argentine tango lyricist, poet and novelist. From an initial Symbolist bent, he developed a distinctive, lunfardo- ...
, Victor Soliño, Juan B. A. Reyes, Manuel Romero and Fernán Silva Valdés Fernan or Fernán is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Fernán Blázquez de Cáceres, Spanish nobleman
* Fernán Caballero (1796–1877), Spanish novelist
* Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921–2007), Spanish act ...
. With the latter he wrote a series of ''Canciones Montevideanas'' ("Songs of Montevideo"), including "Margarita Punzó".
He died in Montevideo after a long illness in 1948.
See also
*Music of Uruguay
The most distinctive music of Uruguay is to be found in the tango and candombe; both genres have been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Uruguayan music includes a number of local musical forms such as murga, a ...
References
Todo Tango: Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matos Rodriguez, Gerardo 20th-century composers 20th-century pianists 1897 births 1948 deaths Burials at the Central Cemetery of Montevideo People from Montevideo Uruguayan composers Male composers Uruguayan expatriates in France Uruguayan expatriates in Germany Uruguayan people of Spanish descent Uruguayan pianists Male pianists Uruguayan male musicians Uruguayan tango musicians 20th-century male musicians