The Masked Parade of Endless Miseries

June 2, 2007 11:00 AM

La Cumparsita Reputedly the most famous tango in existence, La Cumparista isn't just elegant, exquisite and sublime, it also once raised significant copyright concerns, a debate to which this collection doesn't add anything at all. Been ninety years _(Spanish) since the tango was written.
posted by the cydonian (9 comments total)

This is also one of those times I wish I could read Spanish fluently. I'd have understood this fascinating article, for one.

More on the composer, conductor here.

Music notes here.

Pedestrian traffic from Shibuya, Japan_(.mov) set to La Cumparsita.
posted by the cydonian at 11:14 AM on June 2, 2007

Cool, an FPP on tango! Lovely song, great links, congrats!
posted by micayetoca at 12:29 PM on June 2, 2007

Thanks for this wonderful post.
posted by spitbull at 12:40 PM on June 2, 2007

Gracias, che!
posted by languagehat at 3:53 PM on June 2, 2007

I'd argue that "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" is just as famous a tango, although it is not nearly as strongly associated with the dance itself.
posted by kyrademon at 5:20 PM on June 2, 2007

the cydonian: those are some lovely photographs you've taken. nickyskye and I were talking about you yesterday (just some general chitchat), and she sends you her regards; she doesn't have an internet connection at the moment, or I'm sure she would've stopped by here today.
posted by hadjiboy at 6:09 PM on June 2, 2007

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. From the Meridian Room in the Park Plaza Hotel in New York City, we bring you the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra. With a touch of the Spanish, Ramón Raquello leads off with "La Cumparsita."
And then the martians invaded.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:28 AM on June 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

_{The powers that be: That's La Cumparsita out there. Not whatever I typed in italics. Thanks!}

Folks, glad you liked this. :-D Tango is one of those cultural pursuits that touch me from the other side of the world, so to speak; while I suck at it thoroughly, my idea of a perfect Saturday evening is attending a milonga.

Or at least, watching two talented individuals dance to the music.

kyrademon: Ah, interesting, can't say I've heard the song before! This is the song in question, and this is its Wikipedia entry. Curiously though, the article lists it as an Habanera composition, a genre that seems to be a precursor to the regular Uruguayan/Argentinian school of tango, if you will:

Popular knowledge has it that the habanera married the tango flamenco and exiled itself in Argentina, where it eventually became the tango.

Evolutionary chains such as this are the top reason I love researching North/South American music; it's quite a rich world out there, where sounds from many different sources interact with each other and create more music.

_{Hadjiboy: Glad to know I've been discussed! Do send my regards to Nickyskye as well. :-) More pictures coming up in the photostream!}
posted by the cydonian at 8:40 AM on June 3, 2007

Thorzdad: Hearty compliments on bringing a brilliant piece of trivia _(mp3) to the discussion. :-) While I've heard that recording before, I hadn't made the connection until now.
posted by the cydonian at 8:50 AM on June 3, 2007