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Francisco Canaro

Francisco Canaro (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, and later, when he was less than 10 years old, they emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina in the late nineteenth century. As a young man he found work in a factory, where an empty oil can, in his skilled hands, became his first violin. Performing in seedy bars initially, he ultimately forged a career that spanned many decades, and his orchestra was one of the most recorded. His introduction to the tango came by orquesta típica leader Vicente Greco in 1908, and in 1912 he composed "Pinta brava" ("Fierce Look"). Canaro composed the music for the 1915 Argentine classic film Nobleza gaucha. He later was romantically attached to Argentine actress and tango vocalist Ada Falcón, but the relationship, which began in the early 1920s, grew apart a decade later.

In 1920 Canaro discovered Azucena Maizani, who rapidly developed into a major tango star.

Canaro was active in the cause of intellectual property rights from 1918 onwards, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Argentine Society of Composers and Songwriters (SADAIC), in 1935, purchasing the downtown Buenos Aires lot where its headquarters were built. He performed in Paris with his orchestra in 1925, and a success among local audiences, he remained in Europe for a decade. Becoming a naturalized Argentine citizen in 1940, much of his recorded music is in the classic salon style of that decade, but he is also considered a member of the old guard, and some of his later recordings contributed to the transition to concert tango.

Canaro's orchestra became a fixture on Argentine radio during the 1940s and early 1950s, though for many contemporary dancers and listeners, his early golden age recordings remained the best in their genre. Canaro authored his memoirs, Mis 50 años con el tango (My Fifty Years with the Tango) in 1956, but later developed Paget's disease, and was forced to retire. He died in Buenos Aires in 1964.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 26, 1888 (San José de Mayo), Died December 14, 1964 (Buenos Aires)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1915 - 1952

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, leader, songwriter, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 119 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-15925 10-in. 4/22/1915 El pollito Orquesta Argentina de Ferrer Instrumental quintet composer  
Victor B-15929 10-in. 4/22/1915 Matasano Orquesta Argentina de Ferrer Instrumental quintet composer  
Victor B-24408 10-in. 8/26/1920 Nobleza de Arrabal Orquesta Típica Select Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor B-24413 10-in. 8/26/1920 Nueve puntos Orquesta Típica Select Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor B-24443 10-in. 9/1/1920 Anasagasti Orquesta Típica Select Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor B-24444 10-in. 9/1/1920 El pirata Orquesta Típica Select Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor B-28329 10-in. 8/1/1923 Sufra International Novelty Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor B-31114 10-in. 10/22/1924 Sufra Jorge Añez ; Alcides Briceño Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-40193 10-in. 10/19/1927 Sufra Margarita Cueto Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-40245 10-in. 9/27/1927 Alfredo Marimba Centro-Americana Marimba band composer  
Victor BAVE-44697 10-in. Fall 1929 La tablada Orquesta Típica Cayetano Puglisi Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BVE-57021 10-in. 10/24/1929 La última copa Juan Pulido Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BAVE-60345 10-in. Summer 1930 El chamuyo Orquesta Típica Victor Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BAVE-60996 10-in. Sept.-Oct.1931 Cara sucia Orquesta Tipica Juan Canaro Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor 65576 10-in. 10/28/1932 Te quiero Orquestra Típica Gentile ; Malena de Toledo Instrumental ensemble, with female vocal solo composer  
Victor 65621 10-in. 12/12/1932 Me enamoré una vez Lely Morel Female vocal solo composer  
Victor 65696 10-in. 5/19/1933 Rosa de amor Lely Morel Female vocal solo composer  
Victor 65784 10-in. 6/23/1933 Juramento Lely Morel Female vocal solo composer  
Victor 65846 10-in. 8/25/1933 La tablada Orquestra Típica Pedro Vergez Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor 65861 10-in. 10/9/1933 Donde hay um mango Lely Morel Female vocal solo composer  
Victor PBVE-68372 10-in. 7/20/1932 Rayero Carlos Molina Orchestra Instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor BAVE-74306 10-in. 9/7/1933 Donde hay un mango Fernando Díaz ; Orquesta Típica Francisco J. Lomuto Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor 79682 10-in. 9/12/1934 Yo no sé porque te quiero Lely Morel Female vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-81635 10-in. 2/8/1934 Me enamoré una vez Hebe Marín Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor BAVE-93263 10-in. 8/6/1936 La tablada Edgardo Donato Muchachos Instrumental ensemble composer  
(Results 1-25 of 119 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Canaro, Francisco," accessed November 6, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106939.

Canaro, Francisco. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106939.

"Canaro, Francisco." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/106939

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