Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
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.
Moneda de cobre is a Tango written by Horacio Sanguinetti and composed by Carlos Viván.
The lyrics of “Moneda de cobre” portray the somber life journey of a mixed-race woman (mulata) in an impoverished neighborhood of Argentina. Starting with references to her parents’ contrasting characteristics —her father a fair, troubled man and her mother a black woman with vividly colored lips— the song traces her challenging upbringing in a deprived area to a life spent in a cabaret. The central metaphor of the song, “Moneda de cobre” or “Copper Coin” in English, suggests a reduction in her perceived value, owing to age and sadness, mirroring the patina that forms on copper as it tarnishes over time.
Symbolism runs deep in “Moneda de cobre,” contrasting the intrinsic worth against superficial perceptions. Copper, a metal that tarnishes yet remains valuable due to its inherent properties, symbolizes the protagonist’s undiminished inner value. Phrases like “yo con tus alas de rosa te vi volar mariposa y después te vi caer,” meaning “with your rose wings I saw you fly like a butterfly and then I saw you fall,” depict a tragic decline from grace and beauty to obscurity and diminished worth. This heartbreaking descent from a ‘flying butterfly’ to a ‘copper coin’ demonstrates a poignant journey of fading vivacity and society’s cruel abandonment of beauty as it ages.
The Tango was recorded during World War II on April 1, 1943, a period that reflected global despair and hardship, which deeply influenced art and music, leading to a gravitation towards themes of loss and melancholy. The setting in Argentina during this era was likely fraught with similar socioeconomic upheavals, thereby resonating with the struggles portrayed in the tango. This context sheds light on why narratives of personal tragedy and societal disregard, as experienced by the mulata, were so poignant and relatable at the time. Moreover, the mention of locations such as a poor neighborhood of “barro y de latas” (mud and tin), and the iconic ‘Folies Berger,’ contrast the local destitute settings with glimpses of more opulent or culturally significant ones, enhancing the narrative of descending from potential prosperity to desolation.
Horacio Sanguinetti was a prominent lyricist in the Argentine tango scene, known for his profound and often poignant narratives embedded within his compositions.