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.
Hollín is a Tango written by Amadeo Canale and composed by José María Rizzuti.
The lyrics of “Hollín” narrate the heart-wrenching story of a woman deeply in love with a man who never truly understood her. He leaves her, laughing at her devotion and sorrow, depicted vividly as he abandons the “nest of love” he once cherished. The woman, forever pining and haunted by his memory in her dreams and pain, illustrates a tragic persistence of hope amidst inevitable despair. Her yearning encapsulates not only personal agony but echoes a broader theme of unrequited and lost love. The chorus line particularly underscores the theme of inconsolable grief intermingled with tender reminiscences of past intimacies and promises.
Hollín, meaning ‘soot’ in English, symbolizes the remnants of a once fiery love now reduced to ashes. It portrays how passionate love, tainted by disregard and neglect, deteriorates into mere residues of memories. The melancholic evocation “¡Ay, Hollín!…” as a cry within the song, doubles as an exclamation of pain and a somber reflection on what little remains of something once beautiful and vibrant. The repeated shift from vibrant images of love, like singing among roses and tender embraces, to the somber reality of the present, reinforces the central metaphor of decay and the ephemeral nature of fervent emotions.
“Hollín” was composed in 1927, an era when tango music was a powerful expression of the urban cultural landscape of Argentina. The tango likely reflects widespread societal themes of love, betrayal, and suffering, typical of the emotional and often dramatic tenor of the music genre popular among the working classes. Given its creation in post-World War I Argentina, amidst societal changes and the modernization of social structures, the song also potentially mirrors the emotional displacements felt by individuals during a period of significant transition.
Amadeo Canale was a notable lyricist in the realm of Tango, capturing complex human emotions and societal narratives through his poignant poetry set to music.