Salustiano Paco Varela (29 January 1914 – 30 January 1987) 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 Time signature, or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in pat ...

bandoneonist The bandoneon () or bandonion 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, it is held between the hands, and played ...

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, 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 band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. Varela was born and raised in

Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater B ...

in the

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, where he trained as an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

. He played in several bands from the age of 16, including those of Alberto Gambino and

Juan d'Arienzo Juan d'Arienzo (December 14, 1900 – January 14, 1976) was an Argentine tango musician, also known as ''"El Rey del Compás"'' (''King of the Beat''). He was a violinist, band leader, and composer. He was the son of Italian immigrants and used ...

. He went on to form his own

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 ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, which performed on Argentine radio and television in the 1950s and 1960s. He worked with several singers, including Rodolfo Lesica, whom he met in a taxi, and Argentino Ledesma.

External links

Héctor Varela
at todotango.com
Héctor Varela
at tango.info * 1914 births 1987 deaths People from Avellaneda Argentine people of Galician descent Argentine tango musicians Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery 20th-century Argentine composers {{Argentina-composer-stub