Eduardo Arolas
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Arolas was an Argentine
tango
Bandoneon
player, leader and composer
.
Arolas first learned to play the guitar before learning the bandoneon which became his instrument of choice. His nickname was El Tigre del bandoneón (the tiger of the bandoneon).
Arolas composed his first tango in 1909 before he could even read or write music. He went on to play with such early masters as Agustín Bardi
and Roberto Firpo
.
In 1917 Arolas moved to Montevideo
where he settled, he played a number of times at the Teatro Casino. From 1920 he resided mainly in Paris
where he died alone and alcoholic in 1924.
violoncello and the banjo
.
His most famous works include Lágrimas, La cachila, El Marne and Viborita.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
tango
Argentine tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
Bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
player, leader and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Arolas first learned to play the guitar before learning the bandoneon which became his instrument of choice. His nickname was El Tigre del bandoneón (the tiger of the bandoneon).
Arolas composed his first tango in 1909 before he could even read or write music. He went on to play with such early masters as Agustín Bardi
Agustín Bardi
Agustin Bardi was an Argentine Tango musician. He was a pianist, violinist and composer.Bardi was born in Las Flores district of Buenos Aires and was couched in music from a young age....
and Roberto Firpo
Roberto Firpo
Roberto Firpo was an Argentine tango pianist, composer and leader.Firpo was born in the Flores district of Buenos Aires, where his father owned a grocery store...
.
In 1917 Arolas moved to Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
where he settled, he played a number of times at the Teatro Casino. From 1920 he resided mainly in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he died alone and alcoholic in 1924.
Legacy
Arolas is regarded as one of the early masters that helped to define the future of tango music in Argentina. He was avant-garde in his composition and often utilised unconventional instruments such as the SaxophoneSaxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
violoncello and the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
.
His most famous works include Lágrimas, La cachila, El Marne and Viborita.