Benjamín Alfonso Tagle Lara (23 June 1892 – 9 November 1932) was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

lyricist and composer of

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

s who achieved popularity in the 1920s.

Career

Tagle Lara began writing songs around 1920. In 1923 musicians

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 inter ...

and

José Razzano José Francisco Razzano (1887–1960) was an Uruguayan singer and composer. He joined singer Carlos Gardel on a duo until 1925 when Razzano left due to vocal cord problems. Since then, Razzano became Gardel's manager until 1933. Biography Jos� ...

recorded "Cocorocó", composed by Tagle Lara and Enrique Delfino. The following year, the zamba "''El boyero''" (later renamed "''Por el camino''"), which he composed in 1922 with music by pianist Carlos Vicente Geroni Flores, premiered in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

's ''Concurso de Canciones Regionales'' ("Regional Song Contest"), performed by Ítalo Goyeche and Néstor Feria. The song would later make its way to

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, where it was popularized by the singers Agustín Irusta,

Roberto Fugazot Roberto Fugazot (1902–1971) was a Uruguayan tango singer and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional ...

, and

Lucio Demare Lucio Demare (August 9, 1906 – March 6, 1974) was an Argentine composer who worked on a number of film scores.Finkielman p.231 He was the brother of the film director Lucas Demare, and scored several of his films. Selected filmography *'' Priso ...

, earning praise from the prominent Sevillian musician

Joaquín Turina Joaquín Turina Pérez (9 December 188214 January 1949) was a Spanish composer of classical music.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' online (2014)"Joaquín Turina"/ref> Biography Turina was born in Seville. He studied in Seville as well as in Madri ...

. Tagle Lara composed a number of songs with fellow musician Geroni Flores, many of which were performed by the Argentine singer

Ignacio Corsini Andrea "Ignacio" Corsini (February 13, 1891 – July 26, 1967) was an Italian-born Argentine folklore and tango musician. Life and work Andrea Corsini, such his real name, was born in Troina, a village in the Enna Province of Sicily, in 1891. He w ...

, including "''Acordes"'', "''Como lloran los zorzales"'', "''¡Huella... Huella!"'', "''Pillería"'', "''Siempre amigos"'' and "''La tropilla''". Corsini also recorded Tagle Lara's tangos, "''Guitarra gaucha''" and "''Zaraza''", as well as the song "''¿Cuándo?''" in collaboration with his brother Alfonso Corsini. Tagle Lara's songs were also performed by

Azucena Maizani Azucena Maizani (17 November 1902 – 15 January 1970) was an Argentine tango singer, composer and actress. She was discovered in 1920 by Francisco Canaro and quickly emerged as a major star. Her frequent appearances on stage and radio made her ...

("''Pancho, comprate un rancho''"), and Rosita Quiroga, who in 1927 performed his "''Puente Alsina''". The duo Magaldi and Noda helped further popularize Tagle Lara's music by featuring it on their 1926 record "''Trapo Viejo''", which both saw wide radio broadcast and was performed live at Pascual Contursi's "''Maldito cabaret''" ("Cursed cabaret") in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

' Teatro Smart (today the

Multiteatro Multiteatro is a theater complex located at 1283 Avenida Corrientes, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the site of the historical Teatro Smart and Teatro and Cinema Blanca Podestá. History Teatro Smart In 1914, the Italian entrepreneur Domingo Perr ...

theatre complex). His tango "''Una tarde''" (1928), with music by composers Agesilao Ferrazzano and Julio Pollero, was recorded both by the composers'

sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

and by

, arguably the most prominent figure in the history of tango. "''Zaraza''", which Tagle Lara composed alone, was awarded the second prize of the ''Gran Concurso Uruguayo de Tangos del Disco Nacional'' ("

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an Grand Tango Contest") of 1929, performed by

Francisco Canaro Francisco Canaro, also known by the nickname Pirincho, (November 26, 1888 – December 14, 1964) was a Uruguayan violinist and tango orchestra leader. Canaro was born in San José de Mayo, Uruguay, in 1888. His parents were Italian immigrants, ...

's orchestra at the Cine Teatro Cervantes in

. The song was later recorded by such singers as Ignacio Corsini, the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n singer Christian Vasile, and the Argentine actress and singer

Sofía Bozán Sofía Bozán (5 November 1904 – 9 July 1958) was an Argentine film actress and tango performer of the 1930s and 1940s, one of the most popular figures of the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. She made almost 30 appearances in film between 1937 an ...

, who performed the song in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1930. Benjamín Alfonso Tagle Lara collaborated with such composers as Francisco Pracánico,

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 in ...

, Antonio Rodio, Rafael Tuegols, and Eduardo Pereyra during his lifetime. Tagle Lara died in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 9, 1932, at the age of 40.

References

* del Greco, Orlando.
Benjamín Tagle Lara
" ''Todo Tango''. Retrieved on March 29, 2016. * García Blaya, Ricardo.
Benjamín Tagle Lara
" ''Todo Tango''. Retrieved on March 29, 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tagle Lara, Benjamin Alfonso Argentine songwriters Male songwriters 1892 births 1932 deaths Argentine lyricists 20th-century male musicians