Francisco Canaro

Historical background

Francisco Canaro racked up the "firsts" that shaped dance tango: a standard sextet as early as 1916 (with Roberto Firpo), the first arranger in 1920, the first permanent refrain singer (estribillista) in 1927, the first female vocalist in 1929, the first milonga recorded by a dance orchestra in 1933. His nickname, "Pirincho", came from a tuft of hair at birth that reminded the midwife of that orange-crested South American bird.

Michael Lavocah clearly maps out the phases of Canaro's very long career: the acoustic era (1915-1926), the early electrical years with singer Charlo (1926-1931, considered among his finest), a harder period with Ernesto Famá (1932-1934), the Roberto Maida era (1935-1938, soft and refined), then a "populist" turn from 1939 onward in which, per Lavocah, innovation gives way to an increasingly strident beat. In 1929, with singer Ada Falcón on La morocha, Canaro dared one of the very first female voices paired with a dance orchestra — a boldness no other orchestra would attempt again until Donato, ten years later.

Source: Michael Lavocah, Tango Masters: Tango Stories, Musical Secrets, chapitre 5 « The many ages of Francisco Canaro ».