Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
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These Tangos, Valses, and Milongas were recorded around the same time. Take a look to discover what else this orchestra—or others—may have recorded during the same week or even on the exact same day.
Derecho viejo is a Tango written by Gabriel Clausi and composed by Eduardo Arolas.
This tango captures the essence of urban Buenos Aires, particularly the ambiance of its neighborhoods. The lyrics speak of an eternal Tango—sensual, melancholic, and tinged with nostalgia. “Tango de mi ciudad, malevo y sensual” directly translates to “Tango of my city, malevolent and sensual,” portraying the tango as an integral part of Buenos Aires’s identity, reflecting both its beauty and its grit. It is here the tango is visualized as a sentient entity, a “senior of the salon” with the ability to evoke deep, emotional nightscapes in the listener.
Central to the lyrics is the bandoneón, its sounds evoking the deep sorrows of unrequited love and lost opportunities—“Oigo el cantar de un triste bandoneón, que llora en su canción la pena de un amor.” The bandoneón’s music embodies the core of Tango, where nostalgia and melancholic beauty interlock. This symbolism extends to colloquial language, as seen in phrases such as “con tu chamuyo reo,” which could be understood as a reference to the sly, streetwise talk of Buenos Aires’s neighborhoods, inherently connected to the tango’s soul.
Recorded in 1945, Derecho viejo emerged during a pivotal time in Argentina’s history, post-World War II and amidst a national identity crisis. The longing and nostalgia found within the lyrics might reflect societal sentiments towards the simpler, bygone days before the war and modern complexities. The specific reference to “amores de otros tiempos” underscores a yearning for past loves and times, perhaps as figurative anchors in a rapidly changing world.
Gabriel Clausi, also known as “El Chula,” was a renowned bandoneón player and composer, pivotal in popularizing tango music globally.