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Argentine Tango School

“Gricel” by Anibal Troilo y su Orquesta Típica with Francisco Fiorentino in vocals, 1942.

Listen to “Gricel” by Anibal Troilo y su Orquesta Típica with Francisco Fiorentino (1942):

José María Contursi. Argentine Tango music at Escuela de Tango de Buenos Aires from Marcelo Solis collection.José María Contursi

A lyricist essentially poetic, sensitive and prolific, José María Contursi created a great number of hits. His huge work reveals a creator of even inspiration, careful and experienced though somewhat reiterative in his themes and only exceptionally original and truly daring. This prevents him from being among the supreme authors although some of his lyrics deserve to be within the most consummated of the genre. In fact, he aided, as few did, with his refined language to raise the average quality of the tango canción ( tango with lyrics to be sung ). He conceived numerous celebrated pieces in collaboration with various of the best composers, who saw in him a crafted lyricist, whose verses always produced the appropriate mood. His first known work, the waltz “Tu nombre”, dates from 1933, almost 20 years after his father Pascual Contursi, gave birth to the tango canción on some little Montevideo nights. Continue reading at www.todotango.com...

“Dejame ser así” by Enrique Rodríguez y su Orquesta Típica with Roberto “Chato” Flores in vocals, 1938 (English translation).

Escuela de Tango de Buenos Aires - classes - Marcelo Solis

Let me love you my way,
Let me remain as I am,
We can neither put a cast to the affection
Nor reins to the heart.

I am like the thistles of the paddock
Tanned by the winds, rain and sun,
But also, able to produce flowers
Let me remain as I am.

If I’m sad about something
And if I sing a pain,
It will not be on a whim
Nor will it be out of spite.
If there is something strange about me
That I can not explain,
But please,
Do not reproach me
That are yesterday’s things.

“Dejame que te quiera a mi manera,
Dejame seguir siendo como soy,
Que no se pone en moldes el cariño
Ni se le pone riendas al corazón.

Yo soy como los cardos del potrero
Curtido por los vientos, lluvia y sol,
Pero también, capaces de dar flores
Dejame seguir siendo como soy.

Si soy triste por algo
Y si canto un dolor,
No será por capricho
Ni será por rencor.
Si hay en mí un algo raro
Que no alcanzo a explicar,
Pero por favor,
No me reprochés
Que son cosas de ayer.”

Lyrics: Francisco Gorrindo
Music: Enrique Rodríguez

“Pa’ que bailen los muchachos” by Anibal Troilo y su Orquesta Típica with Francisco Fiorentino in vocals, 1942 (English translation of the lyrics).

“Pa’ que bailen los muchachos
via’ tocarte, bandoneón.
¡La vida es una milonga!
Bailen todos, compañeros,
porque el baile es un abrazo:
Bailen todos, compañeros,
que este tango lleva el paso.
Entre el lento ir y venir
del tango va
la frase dulce.
Y ella baila en otros brazos,
prendida, rendida,
por otro amor.

No te quejes, bandoneón,
Que me duele el corazón.
Quien por celos va sufriendo
su cariño va diciendo.

No te quejes, bandoneón,
que esta noche toco yo.
Pa’ que bailen los muchachos
hoy te toco, bandoneón.
¡La vida es una milonga!

Ella fue como una madre,
ella fue mi gran cariño…
nos abrimos y no sabe
que hoy la lloro como un niño…
Quién la va a saber querer
con tanto amor,
como la quise.
Pobre amiga, pobre piba,
¡qué ganas más locas
de irte a buscar!

Pa’ que bailen los muchachos
via’ tocarte, bandoneón.
¡La vida es una milonga!”

English translation:

To make you dance, my friends
I will play you, bandoneon.
Life is a milonga!
Everybody dances, comrades,
because the dance is a hug:
Everybody dance, comrades,
that this tango counts the time.
Between the slow come and go
of tango goes
the sweet phrase.
And she dances in other arms,
wired, surrendered,
for another love.

Do not complain, bandoneon,
That my heart hurts.
Who by jealousy is suffering
his love goes speaking.

Do not complain, bandoneon,
that I play tonight.
To make my friends dance
today, I play you, bandoneon.
Life is a milonga!

She was like a mother;
she was the love of my life
we broke up, and she does not know
I cry like a child today …
Who will know how to love her
with so much love,
as I did?
Poor girlfriend, poor girl,
I feel this mad desire
to go looking for you.

To make you dance, my friends,
I will play you, bandoneon.
Life is a milonga!

Tango 1942
Music: Aníbal Troilo
Lyrics: Enrique Cadícamo

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“Canción de rango (Pa’ que se callen)” by Rodolfo Biagi y su Orquesta Típica with Carlos Acuña in vocals, 1943. (English translation of the lyrics)

Carlos Acuña. Argentine music at Escuela de Tango de Buenos Aires.“Let those who come to dance, dance;
listen, those who want to listen.

For all, there is a rhythmic tango,
pretentious and indomitable
reigning in my city.
I sing because I live the emotion
of the rhythmic and courageous tango.
I sing when someone shouts out
that there is a tango compadrito
looking for a heart.

For those who are saying
that the tango is sad, that it is a dance and a song of the mud.
To make them keep quiet, I will have them know:
My tango is a sad dance but a song of rank.
To make them stop talking, I send it in two by four,
this masculine cadence that becomes a song.
If they are sensitive, you will see that it is not from the mud
the one who wraps his heart in tangos.

Let those who come to dance dance,
and the others continue to listen.
Today, I have my emotions wrapped in tango
and that’s why I’m enjoying it
to the sound of his compass.
I sing because I live the emotion
of the rhythmic and courageous tango.
I sing when someone shouts
that is a tango compadrito
looking for a heart.”

Tango 1942
Music: Raúl Kaplún
Lyrics: José María Suñé

Letra original en castellano:

“Que bailen los que vienen pa’ bailar,
que escuchen los que quieran escuchar.

Pa’ todos hay un tango acompasado,
pretencioso y retobado
reinando en mi ciudad.
Yo canto porque vivo la emoción
del tango cadencioso y compadrón.
Yo canto cuando alguno pega el grito
que hay un tango compadrito
buscando un corazón.

Pa’ que se callen los que andan divulgando
que el tango es triste, que es danza y son del fango.
Pa’ que se callen les voy pasando el dato:
mi tango es danza triste, pero es canción de rango.
Pa’ que se callen les mando en dos por cuatro,
esta cadencia viril que se hace canto.
Si son sensibles, verán que no es del fango
aquel que envuelve en tangos su corazón.

Que bailen los que vienen pa’ bailar,
que sigan escuchando los demás.
Hoy tengo la emoción envuelta en tango
y es por eso que me agrando
al son de su compás.
Yo canto porque vivo la emoción
del tango cadencioso y compadrón.
Yo canto cuando alguno pega el grito
que hay un tango compadrito
buscando un corazón.”

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“Una emoción” by Ricardo Tanturi y su Orquesta Típica with Enrique Campos in vocals, 1943 (English translation).

“Una emoción” by Ricardo Tanturi y su Orquesta Típica with Enrique Campos in vocals, 1943 (English translation).

Ricardo Tanturi and Enrique Campos, Argentine Tango orchestra leader and his singer.

Music: Raúl Kaplún. Lyrics: José María Suñé.

Come and see what I bring
in this union of notes and words,
it’s the song that inspired me
the evocation that cradled me last night.

It is a tango voice modulated in every corner,
by which who lives an emotion that dominates him.
I want to sing for this song
which is increasingly sweet and seductive.

Wrapped in illusion last night I heard it,
composed the emotion by things of my past,
the house where I was born,
the grate and the parral,
the old merry-go-round and the rose garden.

His accent is the sentimental voice song,
his rhythm is the compass that lives in my city,
has no pretension,
he does not want to be insolent,
is called tango and nothing else.

This emotion that I bring,
was born in my voice full of nostalgia.
I feel a bark of rebellion when this is
his verses disguise him.

If it is so humble and so simple in its bars
why to write a bad example in every sentence?
With this rest of emotion
very easy is to reach the heart.

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    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

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Letra original en castellano

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