Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...

musician. Troilo was a

bandoneon The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held bet ...

player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. His

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 ...

was among the most popular with

social dance Social dances are dances that have a social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competit ...

rs during the golden age of tango (1940–1955), but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s. Troilo's orchestra is best known for its

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

s, though he also recorded with many well-known

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

s such as

Roberto Goyeneche Roberto Goyeneche (January 29, 1926 in Saavedra, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – August 27, 1994 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango singer of Basque descent, who epitomized the archetype of 1950s Buenos Aires' bohemian life, and became ...

Edmundo Rivero Leonel Edmundo Rivero (June 8, 1911 – January 18, 1986) was an Argentine tango singer, composer, and impresario. Biography Early days Rivero was born in the southern Buenos Aires suburb of Valentín Alsina. Joining his father in some of his ...

and . His rhythmic instrumentals and the recordings he made with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino from 1941 to 1943, known as milongas, were some of the favourites in tango salons. The renowned bandoneonist

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

played in and arranged for Troilo's orquesta típica during the period of 1939–1944.

Biography

Aníbal Troilo was born on 11 July 1914, to Felisa Bagnoli and Aníbal Troilo, in the well-known

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

Abasto The Abasto Shopping is one of the biggest shopping mall centers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The building was the central wholesale fruit and vegetable market in the city ("Mercado de Abasto") from 1893 to 1984. Since 1999, it has served as a shop ...

. His father nicknamed him "Pichuco", an alteration of the Neapolitan "picciuso", meaning "weepy", or "crybaby". He had one brother and one sister. During his childhood, Troilo listened to the bandoneon in the bars of his neighbourhood. At the age of 10, he convinced his mother to buy him his first bandoneon. Troilo kept the instrument and played it for the rest of his life. When he was 11, in 1925, Pichuco played his first performance in a bar. At the age of 14, he formed his first quintet. He studied until his third year of high school at

Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini The Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini (''Carlos Pellegrini High School of Commerce'', ESCCP) is a public high school in Buenos Aires, and it is one of the most prestigious in Argentina and Latin America. Founded on February 19, 189 ...

, one of the most prestigious high schools in Argentina and the whole of Latin America. In December 1930, Troilo was hired to be part of the famous Vardaro-Pugliese sextet of violinist

Elvino Vardaro Elvino Vardaro (18 June 1905, Buenos Aires - 5 August 1971, Córdoba, Argentina) was an Argentine tango composer and violinist. Vardaro grew up in the Abasto neighborhood of Buenos Aires and at the age of four he began studying the violin. At ...

, pianist

Osvaldo Pugliese Osvaldo Pedro Pugliese (Buenos Aires, December 2, 1905 – July 25, 1995, Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango musician. He developed dramatic arrangements that retained strong elements of the walking beat of salon tango but also heralded the d ...

, violinist

Alfredo Gobbi Alfredo Julio Floro Gobbi (14 May 1912 - 21 May 1965) was a violin player, composer and bandleader in Argentina during the golden age of tango. He was known as the romantic violin of the tango ( es, el violín romántico del tango). Early life ...

, bandoneon player Miguel Jurado (later replaced by Ciriaco Ortiz), and double bass player Luis Addesso. Following this, Troilo played in numerous orchestras, including those of Juan "Pacho" Maglio, Julio de Caro, Juan d'Arienzo,

Angel D'Agostino Angel Domingo Emilio D’Agostino (25 May 1900 in Buenos Aires - 16 January 1991) was a piano player, composer and bandleader (tango musical genre) in Argentina during the golden age of tango. He was a member of the duo ''Los Dos Angeles'' with Ang ...

, and

Juan Carlos Cobián Juan Carlos Cobián (1888–1953) was an Argentine bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big ...

. With his own orchestra, (whose members varied greatly), he played almost continuously, both live and in the studio, until 1975, the year of his death. From 1953 until the mid-60s, Troilo also played with guitarist Roberto Grela as a duo, which later became the Troilo-Grela Quartet. In 1968, having distanced himself from Grela, he formed his own ensemble, the Aníbal Troilo Quartet, which additionally consisted of Ubaldo de Lío on electric guitar, Osvaldo Berlingieri on piano, and Rafael del Bagno on double bass. Berlingieri was later replaced by José Colángelo, who also played in the Aníbal Troilo Orchestra during its final years. In addition to this, Troilo recorded two songs ("El motivo" and "Volver") as a bandoneon duo with

Aníbal Troilo, Francisco Canaro, José Razzano, Enrique Santos Discépolo y Osvaldo Fresedo 1944

The death of Troilo's best friend, the poet

Homero Manzi Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos. He was born on November 1 of 1907 in Añatuya (province of Santiago del Ester ...

(1907–1951), caused him to go into a deep depression that lasted for more than a year. In the poet's memory, he composed the tango ''Responso''. The " Supreme Bandoneón of Buenos Aires" died on 18 May 1975, at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, from a stroke and subsequent cardiac arrest; he is buried in the "Rincón de los Notables" (Famous corner) of the

La Chacarita cemetery Cementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina. Location The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the western part of Buenos Aires. Its main entrance i ...

, next to

Agustín Magaldi Agustín Magaldi Coviello (December 1, 1898 – September 8, 1938) was an Argentinian tango and milonga singer. His nickname was "La voz sentimental de Buenos Aires" ("The sentimental voice of Buenos Aires"). Magaldi took part in the opening br ...

and

Bandoneón Day

In 2005, the

National Congress of Argentina The Congress of the Argentine Nation ( es, Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, ...

declared 11 July (Troilo's birthday) National Bandoneón Day, to commemorate one of the nation's most celebrated musicians.

Compositions

Partial list of original tangos composed by Aníbal Troilo: * ''Toda mi vida'' (lyrics by Jose Maria Contursi) (1941) * ''Con toda la voz que tengo'' (1941) * ''Total pa’ qué sirvo'' (1941) * ''Barrio de tango'' (lyrics by

) (1942) * ''Pa’ que bailen los muchachos'' (lyrics by Enrique Cadicamo) (1942) * ''Acordándome de vos'' (1942) * ''Valsecito amigo'' (1942) * ''Garúa'' (lyrics by

Enrique Cadicamo Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...

) (1943) * ''Media noche'' (lyrics by Hector Gagliardi (1944) * ''Naipe'' (1944) * ''Garras'' (1945) * ''María'' (lyrics by Cátulo Castillo) (1945) * ''Tres y dos'' (1946) * ''Con mi perro'' (1946) * ''Mi tango triste'' (1946) * ''Romance de barrio'' (1947) * '' Sur'' (lyrics by Homero Manzi) (1948) * ''Che, bandoneón'' (lyrics by Homero Manzi) (1950) * ''La trampera'' (1951) * ''Discepolín'' (lyrics by Homero Manzi) (1951) * ''Responso'' (dedicated to his closest friend, the poet

) (1951) * ''A Pedro Maffia'' (with guitarist Roberto Grela) (1953) * ''Vuelve la serenata'' (1953) * ''Una canción'' (lyrics by Cátulo Castillo) (1953) * ''Patio mío'' (1953) * ''Milonga del mayoral'' (1953) * ''La cantina'' (1954) * ''A la guardia nueva'' (1955) * ''La última curda'' (lyrics by

Cátulo Castillo Ovidio Cátulo González Castillo (6 August 1906 – 19 October 1975) was an Argentine poet and tango music composer. He was the author of many famous works, such as ', ''El aguacero'' (lyrics by ), ' and ''Caserón de tejas'' (both with music by ...

) (1956) * ''Te llaman Malevo'' (lyrics by Homero Aldo Exposito) (1957) * ''A Homero'' (lyrics by

) (1961) * ''¿Y a mí qué?'' (1962) * ''Desencuentro'' (1962) * ''Coplas'' (1962) * ''Yo soy del treinta'' (lyrics by Hector Mendez) (1964) * ''Milonguero triste'' (1965) * ''Dale tango'' (1966) * ''Nocturno a mi barrio'' (1969) * ''Milonga de La Parda'' (1969) * ''El último farol'' (1969) * ''Fechoría'' (1970) * ''Una canción'' (1971) * ''La patraña'' (1972) * ''Tu penúltimo tango'' (1975)

Discography

Aníbal Troilo y su Orquesta Típica

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

* ''Yuyo verde'' / ''Garras'' (1946) * ''Yo soy el tango'' / ''Mano brava'' (1949) * ''Tú'' / ''Y volveremos a querernos'' (1950)

LP

* ''Pichuco y sus cantores'' (1959) * ''Con toda la voz que tengo'' (with Francisco Fiorentino) (1959) * ''Cuando tallan los recuerdos'' (with Alberto Marino) (1959) * ''Tristezas de la calle Corrientes'' (1959) * ''Haunting! The Authentic Argentine Tango'' (1959) * ''Tango recio'' (with

) (1963) * ''Café de los Angelitos'' (with Alberto Marino) (1964) * ''Aníbal Troilo – Floreal Ruiz'' (with Floreal Ruiz) (1964) * ''El bulín de la calle Ayacucho'' (1964) * ''Bien milonga'' (1965) * ''Aníbal Troilo – Floreal Ruiz'' (with Floreal Ruiz) (1965) * ''Pichuco sin palabras'' (1965) * ''Troilo – Marino (vol. 3)'' (with Alberto Marino) (1965) * ''Soy un porteño'' (1966) * ''Aníbal Troilo y Roberto Grela'' (with Roberto Grela) (1966) * ''La historia de Aníbal Troilo (vol. 1–3)'' (1966) * ''Otra vez Pichuco'' 1966) * ''Homenaje a Fiorentino'' (1966) * ''Troilo for export'' (1966) * ''Milongueando en el ’40'' (1966) * ''Tangos de hoy y de siempre'' (with

) (1966) * ''Troilo – Rivero'' (with Edmundo Rivero) (1966) * ''Lo mejor de Aníbal Troilo'' (1967) * ''Aníbal Troilo for export (vol. 2)'' (1967) * ''Pichuco sin palabras (vol. 2)'' (1967) * ''Ni más ni menos'' (1968) * ''Nuestro Buenos Aires'' (1968) * ''Nocturno a mi barrio'' (1969) * ''El Polaco y yo'' (with

) (1969) * ''Che Buenos Aires'' (1969) * ''Las grandes estaciones de Aníbal Troilo'' (1969) * ''For export (vol. 3)'' (1970) * ''¿Te acordás... Polaco?'' (1970) * ''A mí me llaman Juan Tango'' (with Juan D'Arienzo) (1970) * ''Tango en Caño 14'' (with Atilio Stampone and

) (1972) * ''Para vos, Homero'' (1972) * ''De vuelta a Salta'' (with

Dino Saluzzi Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi (born 20 May 1935) is an Argentinian bandoneon player. He is the son of Cayetano Saluzzi and the father of guitarist José Maria Saluzzi. Early life, family and education Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi was born in Campo Santo, ...

) (1973) * ''Pichuco y sus cantores'' (1973) * ''Raúl Berón y la orquesta de Aníbal Troilo'' (withRaúl Berón) (1973) * ''Quejas de bandoneón'' (1974) * ''Bandoneón tierra adentro'' (1975) * ''Tiempo de Aníbal Troilo'' (1975) * ''Ayer, hoy y siempre'' (1975) * ''Recordando a Aníbal Troilo y su orquesta'' (1975) * ''Latitud de Buenos Aires'' (1975) * ''Bandoneón mayor de Buenos Aires'' (1975) * ''Bandoneón mayor de Buenos Aires (vol. 2)'' (1975) * ''Discepolín'' (1975) * ''Troilo en stéreo'' (1975) * ''El conventillo'' (1977) * ''Recuerdos de bohemia'' (con el cantor Alberto Marino) (1978) * ''Troilo en el ’40'' (1979) * ''Tango fran Argentina'' (1983)

CD

* ''El inmortal Pichuco'' (1989) * ''Del tiempo guapo'' (with Francisco Fiorentino) (1994) * ''Cuando tallan los recuerdos'' (with Alberto Marino) (1994) * ''Romance de barrio'' (with Floreal Ruiz) (1994) * ''Sur'' (with Edmundo Rivero) (1994) * ''Medianoche'' (with Jorge Casal and Raúl Berón) (1994) * ''Quejas de bandoneón'' (1994) * ''40 grandes éxitos'' (1999)

Dúo Troilo-Grela

LP

* ''Esto es tango!'' (1963)

Filmography

* ''

The Tango Returns to Paris ''The Tango Returns to Paris'' (Spanish:''El tango vuelve a París'') is a 1948 Argentine musical comedy film, written and directed by Manuel Romero. It was premiered on January 16, 1948. The film's plot is about a doctor who arrives to Paris t ...

'' (1948) * '' Mi noche triste'' (1952) * ''

Vida nocturna ''Vida nocturna'' is a 1955 Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, hist ...

'' (1955) * '' Prisioneros de una noche'' (1960) * ''

Buenas noches, Buenos Aires ''Buenas noches, Buenos Aires'' is a 1964 Argentine musical film comedy directed by and starring Hugo del Carril. The film was premièred in Buenos Aires on October 10, 1964. Organized by Del Carril, the film reminisces over the culture of tang ...

'' (1964) * ''Somos los mejores'' (1968) * ''

Tango Argentino Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...

'' (1969) * ''Ésta es mi Argentina'' (1974) * '' El canto cuenta su historia'' (1976)

References

External links

Tango Info Biography

Anibal Troilo Discography (El Recodo Tango)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troilo, Anibal 1914 births 1975 deaths People from Buenos Aires Argentine musicians Argentine tango musicians Argentine bandoneonists Argentine conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery 20th-century conductors (music)