Víctor Lomuto

Real name: Lomuto, Víctor
Bandoneonist, composer and leader
(2 October 1895 - 5 October 1959)
Place of birth:
Buenos Aires Argentina
By
Daniel Lomuto

e was born in Buenos Aires and was son of Víctor Lomuto (violinist) and Rosalía Narducci (pianist). Francisco, Oscar, Enrique, Blas and Héctor were his brothers, and there were also four sisters; a total of ten siblings. In an article published in the magazine Todo es Historia (N° 76, September 1973) it is said that he was born in 1894.

In the late 1921 he traveled to Paris as bandoneon player of the Manuel Pizarro Orchestra. He appeared, among other venues, at the then famous cabaret El Garrón. Later he played in the Bianco-Bachicha Orchestra.

He also joined other aggregations: the one led by Juan Cruz Mateo —a pianist that accompanied Carlos Gardel in records and movies—, also the orchestra headed by the bandoneonist Julio Falcón, the so-called Orquesta Granados, the Orquesta Cazenave and the orchestra fronted by the French pianist Quentin Verdu.

Furthermore, he appeared with his own outfits or groups led by him at the Cote D’Azure, Hungary, Austria, Rumania, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Belgium and the Netherlands. Part of this information was brought by the violinist José Cacopardo, who was his friend in Paris. The latter had traveled with Rafael Canaro and spent several years in Europe.

Among Víctor’s friends in the City of Light we can mention Eduardo Arolas, Celestino Ferrer, Mario Melfi, Eusebio Botto and Juan Bautista Deambroggio, aka (Bachicha).

He was as well friend of Carlos Güerino Filipotto’s, an outstanding bandoneon player that performed in the orchestra of the abovementioned Celestino Ferrer and in other aggregations.

José Cacopardo says that the Argentine musicians used to meet at a venue called Place Pigalle where they talked about job matters.

In Paris Víctor married Ivonne and had only one child, Guido Juan, who became a painter. In 1934 he returned to Buenos Aires and played for a short tenure in the renowned orchestra led by his brother Francisco.

He composed few pieces; the tangos: “Cuentos viejos”, “Marieta” with lyrics by Juan Raggi, sung in Paris by Mistinguet and in Buenos Aires by Azucena Maizani. Some artists played it as milonga with other words and slight changes in its melody.

Other tangos that also belong to him are “Orán”, dedicated to his friends from Oran who were based in France, “Mariolo” (both published in Paris by Edition des 3 Masques), “Actualidad porteña”, “Amigo”, “Ceferino”, “La chirola”, “No me digas que me engañás”, “Raza criolla”, “Vos andá que te conviene”, the pasodoble “Pepita [b]” and the ranchera “La cuadrera”.

In 1937, he came back to Paris and was caught by the outbreak of World War II. Because of that he was subject to many difficulties.

When the war was over he again met Francisco who had arrived in Europe with his orchestra and his theater company. He took over the direction of the latter when his brother returned to Argentina.

In 1955, he returned alone to Buenos Aires and lived in his brother Blas Alfredo’s house. The latter was then colonel of the Army.

He died at a young age in Haedo, province of Buenos Aires, surrounded by relatives and friends.