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.
Te llama mi violín is a Tango written by Cátulo Castillo and composed by Elvino Vardaro.
The lyrics of “Te llama mi violín” evoke a scene of aristocratic elegance contrasted with personal longing and humble origins. This tango explores themes of unrequited love and social divides. The narrator speaks to someone from his past, a “timid smile” hiding behind a fan, an image that conjures up the secluded and perhaps unapproachable nature of the person who is the object of his affection. The violin serves as the narrative voice of the song, calling out and recalling memories of love and yearning.
The repeated motif of the violin represents the narrator’s emotional voice—its music is a call to remember and possibly to return. Expressions like “cantaba mi pobreza en el violín” (“my poverty sang in the violin”) suggest that the violin not only communicates love but also becomes a metaphor for the narrator’s own life experiences, contrasting “oropeles de festín” (the superficialities of feasts) with the genuine but modest affection he offers. The stark differences between the “princesita” (little princess) and the “romero sensiblero” (sensitive pilgrim) underscore themes of crossing socio-economic boundaries through emotional, if unfulfilled, connections.
Recorded in late 1942, “Te llama mi violín” emerges during a period where Argentina, like much of the world, dealt with the consequences of the Second World War and the preceding economic turmoil of the 1930s. This cultural context likely influenced the themes of longing and barriers found within the lyrics, reflecting perhaps a broader societal nostalgia and sentimentality for pre-war stability and simpler times, evoked by the traditional imagery and references to earlier musical forms like the minué (minuet).
Cátulo Castillo was a prominent Argentine poet and tango lyricist known for his profound and emotive works that often encapsulated themes of love, sorrow, and the human condition.