Domingo Federico

Historical background

Born Domingo Serafín Federico on 4 June 1916 in Buenos Aires' Palermo Viejo, he learned violin from his father before turning to piano and solfège; a family move to Carmen de Patagones, where his father Francisco had taken up the bandoneon, sealed the young Domingo's calling for the instrument. Trained at the conservatory under Pedro Maffia and Sebastián Piana while abandoning medical studies, he formed a duo with his sister Nélida at sixteen, then joined Miguel Caló's orchestra in 1941. It was there, according to an anecdote recorded by Sara Ribot, that his tango "Al compás del corazón" was premiered behind Caló's back: singers Raúl Berón and Alberto Podestá, unsure of the lyrics, refused to perform it, so violinist Enrique Francini, enthusiastic about the piece, sang it himself - the crowd demanded an encore, and Caló, discovering the tune on his return, added it to the repertoire at once.

In 1943, Federico left Caló to found his own orchestra, debuting at the café Select Buen Orden with his own father playing double bass. Singer Carlos Vidal left celebrated versions of "Yuyo verde" and "Yo" with the band. Federico later recalled the dance halls of the era: there were, he said, three kinds of audience, those who came to listen and those who came to dance, not forgetting "the mothers," a watchful cordon around the dance floor. In 1963 he reunited with Caló, Armando Pontier, Enrique Francini, Raúl Berón and Alberto Podestá in the short-lived Orquesta de las Estrellas. Settling permanently in Rosario, he taught at the university and led a student orchestra ("I wanted to form a youth orchestra," he said, proud of having passed on tango's phrasing) and toured widely, including 120 recitals in Japan. He died on 6 April 2000.

Source: Ricardo García Blaya, "Domingo Federico," Todotango.com, https://www.todotango.com/creadores/biografia/732/Domingo-Federico/.