DOSSIER > LA CUMPARSITA: THE LEGEND, THE GLORIES
08-08-2008 00:00:00
90 years from its official premiere, it's the tango par excellence, renowned throughout the world and in countless versions. 10Tango invites you to relive the adventures of Matos Rodríguez and his creation. (Publ. 25-04-2007)
By Pedro Ochoa
Just like with any other worthy myth, the circumstances enveloping the birth of La Cumparsita are hidden in mists. The “official” year of its birth is 1917, which is why this year, 2007, will witness a multitude of tributes to celebrate its ninety years. But all evidence points to the year 1916. (Certainly, 1917 is a convenient choice because it coincides with Gardel’s recording of Mi noche triste. But the truth is that the instrumental equivalent of Gardel is Julio De Caro’s orchestra in 1924). What seems certain is that it was born in summer, specifically close to Carnival time. There is no doubt that the place was Montevideo.
Legend has it that Gerardo Matos Rodríguez created La Cumparsita so that it could be sung at Carnival by the Student Federation of Uruguay comparsa, named precisely "La Cumparsita". In a written piece closer to fiction than to historical account, Francisco García Jiménez depicts in this manner the birth of the carnival march: “The chords of a little march accompanied by drums gave a unique rhythm to the march of the comparsa of the “macarronic” diminutive. The spectators on the sidewalks liked the little march. It gave the makeshift student band a special attraction. Many walked behind it, humming the tune. On the Monday of Carnival the voice had gone round: “Have you seen the Cumparsita?”…”Have you heard the Cumparsita?”
Was it ever sung during Carnival? We cannot say for sure. If it was, what were the lyrics? Perhaps they were slightly racy, as García Jiménez himself suggests. The fact that nobody remembers the lyrics may be a sign that it was never sung. How might La Cumparsita sound when played to the rhythm of a murga march? It is hard to imagine the present day version of La Cumparsita accompanied by the colourful drummers of the Uruguayan Carnival. It would pose a challenge to any intrepid composer wishing to try a musical arrangement. Anyway, according to Eduardo Carlos Gunawardana’s words to Horacio Ferrer it can be surmised that La Cumparsita was born as a tango, that it was composed during Carnival but that it only got its title from the Carnival atmosphere.
As frequently happens in the history of tango, there are a lot of inaccuracies, fantasies and second hand facts. Something was at least left over from the Montevideo carnivals: the name, which is no minor matter. “Cumparsita” is the diminutive for “comparsa”, the band and float groups that parade during carnival. But José Gobello is more specific: the changing of the “o” for the “u” is no fanciful whim, since the word “cumpàrza” is used in southern Italy with the same meaning as the Spanish “comparsa”. And we know that Italian was widely spoken in the River Plate. That is why García Jiménez, long before Gobello’s Lunfardo Dictionary was published, speaks of the “macarronic” diminutive. Therefore the word “cumpàrza” would have been common in Montevideo in the early twentieth century, and would have enriched the street jargon. “Cumparsa” is thus the slang equivalent of “comparsa”, derived from an Italian regional word.
In any case, it is true that “la cumparsita” sounds much nicer than “la comparsita”. Here is an extramusical hit that might help explain the causes for its success. (Traslation: María Ferrante)
Just like with any other worthy myth, the circumstances enveloping the birth of La Cumparsita are hidden in mists. The “official” year of its birth is 1917, which is why this year, 2007, will witness a multitude of tributes to celebrate its ninety years. But all evidence points to the year 1916. (Certainly, 1917 is a convenient choice because it coincides with Gardel’s recording of Mi noche triste. But the truth is that the instrumental equivalent of Gardel is Julio De Caro’s orchestra in 1924). What seems certain is that it was born in summer, specifically close to Carnival time. There is no doubt that the place was Montevideo.
Legend has it that Gerardo Matos Rodríguez created La Cumparsita so that it could be sung at Carnival by the Student Federation of Uruguay comparsa, named precisely "La Cumparsita". In a written piece closer to fiction than to historical account, Francisco García Jiménez depicts in this manner the birth of the carnival march: “The chords of a little march accompanied by drums gave a unique rhythm to the march of the comparsa of the “macarronic” diminutive. The spectators on the sidewalks liked the little march. It gave the makeshift student band a special attraction. Many walked behind it, humming the tune. On the Monday of Carnival the voice had gone round: “Have you seen the Cumparsita?”…”Have you heard the Cumparsita?”
Was it ever sung during Carnival? We cannot say for sure. If it was, what were the lyrics? Perhaps they were slightly racy, as García Jiménez himself suggests. The fact that nobody remembers the lyrics may be a sign that it was never sung. How might La Cumparsita sound when played to the rhythm of a murga march? It is hard to imagine the present day version of La Cumparsita accompanied by the colourful drummers of the Uruguayan Carnival. It would pose a challenge to any intrepid composer wishing to try a musical arrangement. Anyway, according to Eduardo Carlos Gunawardana’s words to Horacio Ferrer it can be surmised that La Cumparsita was born as a tango, that it was composed during Carnival but that it only got its title from the Carnival atmosphere.
As frequently happens in the history of tango, there are a lot of inaccuracies, fantasies and second hand facts. Something was at least left over from the Montevideo carnivals: the name, which is no minor matter. “Cumparsita” is the diminutive for “comparsa”, the band and float groups that parade during carnival. But José Gobello is more specific: the changing of the “o” for the “u” is no fanciful whim, since the word “cumpàrza” is used in southern Italy with the same meaning as the Spanish “comparsa”. And we know that Italian was widely spoken in the River Plate. That is why García Jiménez, long before Gobello’s Lunfardo Dictionary was published, speaks of the “macarronic” diminutive. Therefore the word “cumpàrza” would have been common in Montevideo in the early twentieth century, and would have enriched the street jargon. “Cumparsa” is thus the slang equivalent of “comparsa”, derived from an Italian regional word.
In any case, it is true that “la cumparsita” sounds much nicer than “la comparsita”. Here is an extramusical hit that might help explain the causes for its success. (Traslation: María Ferrante)
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