Por una Cabeza
Encyclopedia
"Por una cabeza", meaning "by a head [of a horse]" in Spanish
, is one of the most famous and popular tango
songs by Carlos Gardel
(composer) and Alfredo Le Pera
(lyricist), written in 1935. Alfredo Le Pera was a Brazilian from São Paulo
, the fourth most Italian-influenced area in Brazil, and also the birthplace of Zequinha de Abreu
, composer of Tico-Tico no Fubá
. Le Pera died along with Gardel in the same airplane crash in Medellín
(Colombia), on June 24, 1935.
The lyrics of the song talk about a compulsive horse-track gambler
who compares his addiction for horses with his attraction to women.
The tango has been performed by numerous tango orchestras and is commonly featured in films and television, most notably The Tango Project (Nonesuch Records), consisting of Accordionist William Schimmel, Pianist Michael Sahl and Violinist Stan Kurtis. Tango scenes with "Por una cabeza" appear in Planet 51
, Schindler's List
, Scent of a Woman
, Delicatessen
, True Lies
, All the King's Men
, Bad Santa
(Uncut Version), Episode 37 of Nip/Tuck
, Episode 9 of Sweet Spy
, the beginning and ending credits of I'm Sorry, I Love You
, and the CSI: NY
episode "Down the Rabbit Hole", and in the movie "Frida
" (Salma Hayek), Gardel is heard on a radio singing it. It is also quoted in David Del Tredici
's "Good News! Nilda is Back" (from the song cycle Miz Inez Sez). In Scent of a Woman, The Tango Project actually appears in the famous Tango scene starring Al Pacino. John Williams
arranged a version of the piece and it appears on the album "Cinema Serenade", with violin solo by Itzhak Perlman
. Williams (conducting) and Perlman have also performed the piece during their live concerts together.
's Rondo for violin and orchestra in C major, K. 373.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, is one of the most famous and popular tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
songs by Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was born in Toulouse, France, although he never acknowledged his birthplace publicly, and there are still claims of his birth in Uruguay. He lived in Argentina from the age of two...
(composer) and Alfredo Le Pera
Alfredo Le Pera
Alfredo Le Pera was an Argentinian journalist, dramatist, and lyricist, best known for his brief but fruitful collaboration with the tango singer Carlos Gardel...
(lyricist), written in 1935. Alfredo Le Pera was a Brazilian from São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, the fourth most Italian-influenced area in Brazil, and also the birthplace of Zequinha de Abreu
Zequinha de Abreu
José Gomes de Abreu, better known as Zequinha de Abreu , was a Brazilian musician and composer who in 1917 wrote the famous choro tune "Tico-Tico no Fubá"...
, composer of Tico-Tico no Fubá
Tico-Tico no Fubá
Tico-Tico no Fubá is the title of a renowned Brazilian choro music piece composed by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. Its original title was Tico-Tico no Farelo, but since Brazilian guitarist Américo Jacomino Canhoto had a work with the same title, Abreu's work was given its present name in 1931.Choro ...
. Le Pera died along with Gardel in the same airplane crash in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
(Colombia), on June 24, 1935.
The lyrics of the song talk about a compulsive horse-track gambler
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
who compares his addiction for horses with his attraction to women.
The tango has been performed by numerous tango orchestras and is commonly featured in films and television, most notably The Tango Project (Nonesuch Records), consisting of Accordionist William Schimmel, Pianist Michael Sahl and Violinist Stan Kurtis. Tango scenes with "Por una cabeza" appear in Planet 51
Planet 51
Planet 51 is a 2009 Spanish/British/American animated science fiction/family film directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, and John Cleese. Produced by Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and...
, Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
, Scent of a Woman
Scent of a Woman
This article is about the American film. For the Korean drama, see Scent of a Woman .Scent of a Woman is a 1992 drama film directed by Martin Brest that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to an irascible, blind, medically retired Army officer...
, Delicatessen
Delicatessen (film)
Delicatessen is a 1991 French black comedy film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, starring Dominique Pinon and Karin Viard. It is set in an apartment building in a post-apocalyptic France of an ambiguous time period. The story focuses on the tenants of the building and their desperate...
, True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
, All the King's Men
All the King's Men (2006 film)
All the King's Men is a 2006 film adaptation of the 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It was directed by Steven Zaillian, who also produced and scripted....
, Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
(Uncut Version), Episode 37 of Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
, Episode 9 of Sweet Spy
Sweet Spy
Sweet Spy is a MBC drama series and has been a major part of the Korean Wave both in Asia and throughout the United States. It starred Nam Sang Mi, Lee Joo Hyun, and Korean-American model-turned-actor, Dennis Oh.-Synopsis:...
, the beginning and ending credits of I'm Sorry, I Love You
I'm Sorry, I Love You
I'm Sorry, I Love You is a South Korean drama broadcast by KBS. The drama starred actors So Ji Sub and Im Su Jeong and the theme song was "Snow Flower" by Park Hyo Shin.-Synopsis:Cha Moo Hyuk is a small time scam-artist working the streets of Australia...
, and the CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
episode "Down the Rabbit Hole", and in the movie "Frida
Frida
Frida is a 2002 biographical film which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It stars Salma Hayek in her Academy Award nominated portrayal as Kahlo and Alfred Molina as her husband, Diego Rivera....
" (Salma Hayek), Gardel is heard on a radio singing it. It is also quoted in David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici
David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale, California, is an American composer. According to Del Tredici's website, Aaron Copland said David Del Tredici "is that rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift...
's "Good News! Nilda is Back" (from the song cycle Miz Inez Sez). In Scent of a Woman, The Tango Project actually appears in the famous Tango scene starring Al Pacino. John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
arranged a version of the piece and it appears on the album "Cinema Serenade", with violin solo by Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
. Williams (conducting) and Perlman have also performed the piece during their live concerts together.
Melody source
The most recognizable portion of the melody is inspired by MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Rondo for violin and orchestra in C major, K. 373.