ven though not beyond the professional level, his lyrics possess certain expressive achievements and, in some cases, reached great popular acclaim.

Born in Buenos Aires, he was a man of various activities: violinist in small groups together with his brother Osvaldo Nicolás; journalist in the La Razón newspaper; co-director, with the drafstman Lino Palacio, of the Cuentos Cortos (Short Stories) magazine; advertising promoter and even producer of medical specialties.

His early tango lyrics date back to the years when he worked as journalist. One of the first ones was “Sollozos”, in 1922, that Rosita Quiroga recorded accompanied by guitars and harmonium in 1923. It bears music by his brother Osvaldo with whom Emilio also wrote “Aromas”, recorded by Carlos Gardel in 1924, “El once (A divertirse)” (for the eleventh Baile del Internado (students’ ball), “Canto de amor” (premiered by the famous actor Ramón Novarro when he was in Buenos Aires in 1934).

With Raúl de los Hoyos he collaborated in three numbers: “Sonsa”, “Con alma y vida” and “Del barrio de las latas”. The first was premiered by Iris Marga in 1926 in the revue Las Alegres Chicas del Maipo, staged, precisely, at the Teatro Maipo. A curious information: in the sheet music is written that Celia Gámez sang it but it fact she had to travel to Spain and was replaced by Iris Marga.

“Vida mía”, possibly his most popular tango, was premiered in 1934 by the orchestra led by his brother with Roberto Ray on vocals at one of the Geniol balls(trademark of an aspirin for headaches) organized by Radio Belgrano.

Other pieces that belonged to him, all with music by Osvaldo: “Por qué”, “Cielito mío”,“Pobre chica”, “No supe vivir”, “Casate conmigo”, “Volverás”, “Madre mía”, “Tango mío”, “Siempre es carnaval”, “Careta, careta”, “Rosarina linda” and “Amor” (waltz).

With other composers he wrote: “Redoblona” (tango by Hermes Peressini), “Adelante la mozada” (ranchera by Humberto Costanzo), “Cordobesita” (tango by Pascual Storti), “El tarta” and “Cenizas”, (tangos by José María Rizzuti), among others.

A special paragraph deserves the tango “La yegüecita”, whose lyrics he wrote to a music by Gardel and Razzano —there is no recording of it—, and it has nothing to do with the cueca with the same name recorded by the duo.

Furthermore he stood out as composer with the successful tango “Paseo de Julio”, recorded by Carlos Gardel in Paris in 1928 with the guitarists Aguilar, Ricardo and Barbieri; and in 1929 in Buenos Aires, accompanied by Aguilar and Barbieri; he also composed “Te acordás reo”, recorded in 1927 by Tita Merello.