The tune "La Cumparsita", written by the Uruguayan
Gerardo Matos, is amongst the most well known tangos of
all time. The music was originally written as a
carnival march, the title translates as "The Little
Parade". Matos, then 18 years of age, wrote the tune in
1916 while he was studying architecture in Montevideo.
He presented the music to the orchestra leader Roberto
Firpo, who determined that the tune could be used as a
Tango. Firpo made various adjustments to the music,
including the additi...(+)
The tune "La Cumparsita", written by the Uruguayan
Gerardo Matos, is amongst the most well known tangos of
all time. The music was originally written as a
carnival march, the title translates as "The Little
Parade". Matos, then 18 years of age, wrote the tune in
1916 while he was studying architecture in Montevideo.
He presented the music to the orchestra leader Roberto
Firpo, who determined that the tune could be used as a
Tango. Firpo made various adjustments to the music,
including the addition of a portion of the song
"Miserere" from the Opera "Il Trovatore" by Giuseppe
Verdi. The music only became widely popular after the
Argentine Pascual Contursi added lyrics in 1924. In the
film "Anchors Aweigh" (1945), Gene Kelly dances to the
tune in a scene.