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.
Silbar de boyero is a Tango written by José Barreiros Bazán and composed by David Barberis.
“Silbar de boyero” translates to “Oxherd’s Whistle” in English, capturing a profound sense of solitude and melancholy inherent in the life of a boyero (oxherd). The lyrics metaphorically relate the boyero’s desolate whistle to his internal emotional landscape, marked by a deep, unexpressed sorrow. As the oxherd traverses the vast plains, his whistle, filled with a poignant yearning for a lost love, serves both as his only expression of pain and a lingering connection to what once was. The repeating phrase “Canción sin palabras, Dolor” emphasizes the ineffable nature of his grief—too deep for words, yet profoundly present.
Within “Silbar de boyero,” several elements dualistically symbolize both the physical environment and the internal emotional state of the oxherd. The “gemir del sauzal con el viento,” or the moaning of the willow trees with the wind, suggests a mourning nature, mirroring the oxherd’s own sorrow. The expansive “pampa y cielo” (plains and sky) and the relentless journeying alongside the ox further represent the infinite burden of his unrelieved heartache. His whistle, a poignant, symbolic and literal call, articulates a melancholy that words fail to capture. The physical journey through the landscape reflects his emotional pilgrimage—a slow, inexorable march burdened by memory and loss.
Authored in 1944, “Silbar de boyero” emerged during a time when Argentina was deeply connected to its rural roots, yet was rapidly modernizing post-World War II. This tango captures a nostalgic reflection on the traditional gaucho (cowboy) lifestyle, which was becoming overshadowed by urbanization. The oxherd’s whistle symbolically resists the erasure of these rustic customs, embodying a haunting reminder of both personal and collective histories. The lament for lost love thus also mourns the fading past, preserving its essence through the emotive conduit of music.
José Barreiros Bazán was an Argentine lyricist known for his rich, emotive compositions that often delved into themes of nostalgia, love, and sorrow.