Julián Robledo (1887–1940) was a composer best known for the song "

Three O'Clock in the Morning "Three O'Clock in the Morning" is a waltz composed by Julián Robledo that was extremely popular in the 1920s. Robledo published the music as a piano solo in 1919, and two years later Dorothy Terriss wrote the lyrics. Paul Whiteman's instrument ...

". Robledo lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the early 1900s where he played piano in tango orchestras and composed some of the earliest published tangos. "Three O'Clock in the Morning" was published in the United States in 1919. The song was recorded by

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

in 1922 and became one of the first 20 recordings in history to achieve sales of over one million records. The piece features prominently in the December 27, 1950 episode of radio's

The Harold Peary Show ''The Harold Peary Show'' is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States September 17, 1950-June 13, 1951 on CBS. Some sources refer to the program as ''Honest Harold''Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time R ...

History

Julián Robledo was born in Ávila, Castilla y León, Spain in 1887. He emigrated to Argentina in the early 1900s where he worked with some of the best known orchestras of the day. When the

orquesta típica Orquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size (about 8 to 12 musicians) in some well-defined in ...

of Genaro Espósito was signed by the

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

record label in 1912, their first recording was the tango "Ya vengo", by Julián Robledo. Other tangos composed by Robledo include "La Pianola", "Golf' and “Chirulote”. Julián Robledo also played piano with the orchestras of Eleuterio Yribarren, recording on the labels Electra and Odeón. Robledo composed "

" in 1919. Lyrics were added by Dorothy Terriss in 1921, and the song created a sensation when it was performed in New York in the Greenwich Village Follies of 1921.

released a recording on the

label in 1922, resulting in sales of over 3.5 million copies of the record, and over 1 million copies of the sheet music. In Buenos Aires, Robledo was active in promoting and protecting the rights of musicians and composers. He was spokesperson for the "Federación de Profesores de Música" and was a founder of the "Comisión de Defensa de los Derechos de Autor." Julián Robledo died in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1940.

References

1887 births 1940 deaths Argentine composers Argentine tango musicians Argentine pianists Male pianists 20th-century composers 20th-century pianists {{Argentina-composer-stub