By Néstor Pinsón

ll those who have read the pages of the history of tango may have found, more than once, this character that much contributed to the difussion of our music. You may have as well found several pieces printed as sheetmusic and texts on which it was explained about his contribution and the award won at those contests.

They were only nine, seven in Buenos Aires and two in Montevideo. There were others, before and after, but none reached the level of attraction they had drawn either in the public or in the composers and authors. So much so that, on some occasions, they originated conflicts leading to situations that today seem funny to us.

Max Glücksmann

Records, the principal means of diffusion, popularized immediately the pieces awarded what meant big sales, money and prestige. Because of that the most important and renowned artists did not miss their chance to appear as contestants.

Héctor Ernié, in an article published in 1972, critized those who made comments about these contests forty years later and spread inexactitudes without taking into account the historic context and without the background of a correct research made with scientific methods. He strongly goes against Francisco García Jiménez, with caution against Francisco Canaro's memoirs and the texts written by Luis Adolfo Sierra and, openly against the opinions of Horacio Ferrer.

With his detailed work we have an exact description of the results of those musical contests:

YEAR 1924. FIRST CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Grand Splendid Cinema-Theater (1860 Santa Fe Ave.)
Staff orchestra: Roberto Firpo Orchestra. Only for music.

1º "Sentimiento gaucho" (Francisco and Rafael Canaro and Juan Andrés Caruso)
2º "Pa' que te acordés" (Francisco Lomuto and Andrés Seitún)
3º "Organito de la tarde" (Cátulo and José González Castillo)
4º "Con toda el alma (Virgencita del talar)" (Juan Farini and Alberto Vaccarezza)
5º "Amigazo" (Juan de Dios Filiberto, Francisco Brancatti and Juan Miguel Velich)
Accesits: "Soñando" (Paquita Bernardo and Eugenio Cárdenas), "Capablanca sólo" (Enrique Delfino), "El púa" (Arturo De Bassi)

YEAR 1925. SECOND CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Grand Splendid Cinema-Theater (1860 Santa Fe Ave.)
Staff orchestra: Francisco Lomuto (tango orchestra and jazz-band).

1º "El brujo" (Juan Carlos Bazán and Enrique Carrasquilla Mallarino)
2º "El circo se va" (Cátulo Castillo)
3º "Yo te bendigo" (Juan de Dios Filiberto and Juan Andrés Bruno)
4º "Cacholo" (Alberico Spátola and Luis Roldán)
5º "Anochecer" (María Isolina Godard and Juan Andrés Caruso)
6º "Suspiros" (Juan Carlos Bazán and Enrique Carrasquilla Mallarino)
7º "Rulito" (Ricardo Brignolo and José González Castillo)
Accesits: "Agarrá viaje" (Vicente Romeo)

This year along with the tango contest a shimmy contest was held. First award was for "Luna de miel" (Víctor Troysi) and second, "Oigo ruido" (Juan F. Noli).

YEAR 1926. THIRD CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Cine-teatro Grand Splendid (1860 Santa Fe Ave.)
Staff orchestra: Osvaldo Fresedo.

1º "Páginas de amor" (Luis Riccardi and José González Castillo)
2º "Llegué a ladrón por amarte"
(Juan Maglio)
3º "Bajo Belgrano" (Anselmo Aieta and Francisco García Jiménez)
4º "Normiña" (Eduardo Armani and Antonio Capone)
5º "Llorá, hermano" (Enrique Lomuto and Augusto Espinosa)
6º "De buena fe" (Francisco Lomuto)

YEAR 1927. FOURTH CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Palace Theatre (757 Corrientes St.)
Staff orchestra: Francisco Canaro with Agustín Irusta and Roberto Fugazot on vocals.

First held for music and lyrics:
1º "Noche de reyes" (Pedro Maffia and Jorge Curi)
2º "Perfume de mujer" (Juan José Guichandut and Armando Tagini)
3º "Copetín, vos sos mi hermano" (Andrés Domenech and Diego Flores)
4º "Queja indiana" (Juan Rodríguez and Juan Miguel Velich)
5º "El mal que me hiciste" (Carlos Percuoco and Luis De Biasse)

For instrumental music only:
1º "Sangre azul" (Fioravanti Di Cicco)
2º "Caído del cielo" (Pedro and Antonio Polito)
3º "Río de oro" (Lucio Demare and Fioravanti Di Cicco)
4º "En silencio" (Raúl Courau)
5º "Yo también era dichoso" (E. Lorenz)
Lyrics were added later to several of these pieces.

YEAR 1927: FIRST CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL" IN MONTEVIDEO.
Venue: Teatro Urquiza.
Staff orchestra: Francisco Lomuto.

1º "De tardecita" (Nicolás Mesutti and Carlos Álvarez Pintos)
2º "Hasta luego" (Edgardo Donato)
3º "Porque sos así" (Manuel García Servetto)
4º "La última ficha" (Joaquín Barreiro and Luis Rolero)
5º "La mascarita" (J. B. Rosso)
6º "Bichito" (E. Chain)

YEAR 1928: FIFTH CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Palace Theatre.
Staff orchestra: Francisco Canaro with Charlo on vocals.

Music and lyrics:
1º "Piedad" (Carlos Percuoco and Luis De Biase)
2º "Te aconsejo que me olvides" (Pedro Maffia and Jorge Curi)
3º "Alma en pena" (Anselmo Aieta and Francisco García Jiménez)
4º "Duelo criollo" (Juan Rezzano and Lito Bayardo)
5º "Noviecita mía" (Antonio Polito)
6º "Fierro chifle" (César de Pardo and Alfonso Tagle Lara)

For instrumental music:
1º "El rasgueo" (Aníbal Iturriaga and Dora de Iturriaga)
2º "Arco iris" (Pedro Maffia and Sebastián Piana)
3º "Vieja milonga" (Samuel Castriota)
4º "Senda florida" (Rafael Rossi and Eugenio Cárdenas)
5º "Charito" (Restituto Torres)
6º "Muñeca brava" (Luis Visca and Enrique Cadícamo)

YEAR 1928: SECOND CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL" IN MONTEVIDEO.
Venue: Teatro Cervantes
Staff orchestra: Francisco Canaro with Charlo on vocals.

Music and lyrics:
1º "Mientras llora el tango" (Raúl Courau and Esteban Barabino)
2º "Zaraza" (Benjamín Tagle Lara)
3º "Payador" (Juan B. D'Angelo, Ray Rada and M. Castellanos)
4º "Dejá que se vaya" (Alfonso Tagle Lara)

For instrumental music:
1º "Estampa del suburbio" (Luis D'Andrea)
2º "Castillo de naipes" (Juan Carlos Graviz)
3º "Cartón ligador" (Edgardo Donato)

YEAR 1929: SIXTH CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Palace Theatre.
Staff orchestra: Roberto Firpo with Teófilo Ibañez on vocals.

Gran Premio de Honor:
"Margaritas" (Juan Carlos Moreno González and Gabino Coria Peñaloza)
For this award these three tangos had also been chosen:
"Prisionero" (Anselmo Aieta and Francisco García Jiménez)
"El barbijo" (Andrés Domenech and Jesús Fernández Blanco)
"Misa de once" (Juan José Guichandut and Francisco García Jiménez)

Music and lyrics:
1º "De todo te olvidas" (Salvador Merico and Enrique Cadícamo)
2º "Pensalo bien" (Alberto Calvera and Enrique López)
3º "Mentiras criollas" (Oscar Arona)
4º "Mucamita" (Rodolfo Sciammarella and Aturo Rodríguez Bustamante)
5º "No quiero verla más" (Luis Teisseire and Juan Andrés Caruso)
6º "Manguere" (Luis Riccardi, M. Castellanos and Ray Rada)

Instrumental music:
1º "Rancho embrujao" (Raúl Courau and Francisco García Jiménez)
2º "Cacareando" (Delmiro Pereyra)
3º "El pajuerano" (Elifio Jaime)
4º "Desilusión" (Miguel Bucino)
5º "La eterna milonga" (Dora de Iturriaga)
6º "La madrugada" (Emilio Iribarne)

YEAR 1930: SEVENTH CONTEST "DISCO NACIONAL".
Venue: Cine Electric
Staff orchestra: Francisco Canaro

Music and lyrics:
1º "Linyera" (Juan de Dios Filiberto and Luis Mario, María Luisa Carnelli's sobriquet)
2º "Toque de oración" (Salvador Merico and Yamandú Rodríguez)
3º "Mi destino" (Luis Teisseire)
4º "Bajo tierra" (Anselmo Aieta and Francisco García Jiménez)
5º "Madre hay una sola" (Agustín Bardi and José de la Vega)
6º "El picaflor" (Oscar Arona)

Instrumental music:
1º "Sueño de arrabal" (César de Pardo)
2º "Picardía" (Samuel Castriota)
Accesits: "Comparsa criolla" (Rafael Iriarte), "No va más" (Miguel Bucino), "Remordimientos" (Juan Maglio), "Te he visto llorar" (E. L. Rossi), "Pituca" (Rogelio Ferreyra Cadícamo), "Reír para llorar" (Guillermo del Ciancio), "Giuseppe el zapatero" (Guillermo del Ciancio).

This year, which finally was the last, there was also a contest for waltzes and rancheras:

Waltzes:
1º "En el silencio de la noche" (Roberto Firpo and Vicente Planells del Campo)
2º "Recuerdos del corazón" (F. Devita and José Villenghi)
3º "El payador" (Andrés Domenech)
Accesits: "Jazmín del país" (Adolfo Avilés and Francisco Brancatti)

Rancheras:
1º "En la palmera" (Francisco Lomuto)
2º "Hasta que ardan los candiles" (Francisco Pracánico and Diego Novillo Quiroga)
3º "Pegándole al cimarrón" (R. Torres Alonso)
Accesits: "El viejo Zoilo" (J. Ferreyra and Chiara), "Apriendan los pedigüeños" (Ernesto Di Cicco and D'Angelo)

About the importance of the contests of this kind and the anger they caused in the authors disappointed, or about to be, we present two examples:

In 1908, many years before the Glücksmann contest, the daily paper Última Hora organized one in which Arturo De Bassi presented his tango "La catrera". The piece did not receive any award so the composer was deeply disappointed. The passing of time evidenced that he was right because the other pieces had no popular recognition at all. De Bassi's anger made him publish his tango and print on the sheetmusic cover: "Tango without award at the Última Hora contest".

Another case was that of the tango "Organito de la tarde" by Cátulo Castillo with lyrics by José González Castillo at the Max Glücksmann contest in 1924 about the high quality of its music. Nobody believed that and, especially, Juan de Dios Filiberto, that piece could have written by a kid. Cátulo himself told us that the composer of "Caminito" harshly addressed to my father by saying: "You're doing no good to that kid of yours because he'll be at the final contest with me. If he wins, you'd better know, Mr.Castillo, that I've been raised killing cops".

Cátulo's father stood up and, boastful, answered: "And you'd better know that I grew up killing sergeants. I allowed them to start first and then I kicked them in the ass". Finally, the first award was for none of them.