Sur (tango)
Encyclopedia
Sur is a tango song with music by Aníbal Troilo
and lyrics by Homero Manzi
. It was first recorded by Troilo's orchestra with vocals by Edmundo Rivero
on 23 February 1948. The first live performance, by the same artists, was at the Tibidabo night club in Buenos Aires
.
Among the landmarks mentioned are: San Juan y Boedo at the center of the Boedo
neighborhood, Pompeya
(located directly to the South), the railway crossing and the swampland at the edge of Pompeya, and the enigmatic "blacksmith's corner, mud and pampa
", which could be the corner of Centenera and Tabaré, already named in Manzi's earlier "Manoblanca" http://www.todotango.com/english/biblioteca/cronicas/manoblanca.asp or another blacksmith shop in the corner of Inclán and Loria, within Parque Patricios
.
Manzi himself was born in Añatuya
, Santiago del Estero
, and moved into Buenos Aires at the age of nine, living close to the landmarks mentioned in the tango.
For the original recording, Rivero himself made two small changes to the lyrics http://musicarberdi.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/anibal-troilo-edmundo-rivero-sur/: "florando" became "flotando" ("flowering" to "floating", as the first verb was not understood by audiences), and "y mi amor y tu ventana" became "y mi amor en tu ventana" ("and my love and your window" became "and my love in your window"). The first modification was universally adopted; the second one is less frequent.
"Romance de Barrio" http://www.todotango.com/english/creadores/manzi.asp, but none achieved the universal recognition of "Sur", perhaps the tango most loved by Argentines, and certainly one of the most conspicuously recorded http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/17-3805-2007-05-06.html.
Besides Rivero's original recording, notable versions include covers by Julio Sosa
, Nelly Omar, Roberto Goyeneche
, and Andrés Calamaro
.
Argentine author Ernesto Sabato
has said http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/17-3805-2007-05-06.html that he'd give away all he's written for the privilege of being the author of "Sur".
Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
and lyrics by Homero Manzi
Homero Manzi
Homero Nicolás Manzioni Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi was an Argentine Tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos....
. It was first recorded by Troilo's orchestra with vocals by Edmundo Rivero
Edmundo Rivero
Leonel Edmundo Rivero was an Argentine tango singer, composer, and impresario.-Early days:Rivero was born in the southern Buenos Aires suburb of Valentín Alsina. Joining his father in some of his travels, he was exposed to the lifestyle and the music of the gauchos of Buenos Aires Province from...
on 23 February 1948. The first live performance, by the same artists, was at the Tibidabo night club in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Lyrics
The song is an elegy for a lost love, framed in the landmarks of the South side of Buenos Aires, lamenting both the end of a love story and the changes in the barrio. The identity of the lovers is not revealed beyond evoking the girl's mane, and noting she was 20 at the time.Among the landmarks mentioned are: San Juan y Boedo at the center of the Boedo
Boedo
Boedo is a working class barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The neighborhood and one of its principal streets were named after Mariano Boedo, a leading figure in the Argentine independence movement....
neighborhood, Pompeya
Nueva Pompeya
Nueva Pompeya is a neighbourhood in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the South side, it has long been one of the city's proletarian districts steeped in the tradition of tango and one where many of the first tangos were written and performed....
(located directly to the South), the railway crossing and the swampland at the edge of Pompeya, and the enigmatic "blacksmith's corner, mud and pampa
Pampa
The Pampas are the fertile South American lowlands, covering more than , that include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Córdoba, most of Uruguay, and the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul...
", which could be the corner of Centenera and Tabaré, already named in Manzi's earlier "Manoblanca" http://www.todotango.com/english/biblioteca/cronicas/manoblanca.asp or another blacksmith shop in the corner of Inclán and Loria, within Parque Patricios
Parque Patricios
Parque Patricios is a barrio located on the southern side of Buenos Aires, Argentina belonging to the fourth comuna.Parque Patricios underwent a transformation during the beginning of the 1900's...
.
Manzi himself was born in Añatuya
Añatuya
Añatuya is a city in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It has 30.000 inhabitants as per the , and is the head town of the General Taboada Department...
, Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
, and moved into Buenos Aires at the age of nine, living close to the landmarks mentioned in the tango.
For the original recording, Rivero himself made two small changes to the lyrics http://musicarberdi.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/anibal-troilo-edmundo-rivero-sur/: "florando" became "flotando" ("flowering" to "floating", as the first verb was not understood by audiences), and "y mi amor y tu ventana" became "y mi amor en tu ventana" ("and my love and your window" became "and my love in your window"). The first modification was universally adopted; the second one is less frequent.
Recognition
Troilo's collaboration with Manzi yielded several hits during the 1940s, including "Barrio de Tango" and the waltzWaltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
"Romance de Barrio" http://www.todotango.com/english/creadores/manzi.asp, but none achieved the universal recognition of "Sur", perhaps the tango most loved by Argentines, and certainly one of the most conspicuously recorded http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/17-3805-2007-05-06.html.
Besides Rivero's original recording, notable versions include covers by Julio Sosa
Julio Sosa
Julio María Sosa Venturini , usually referred to simply as Julio Sosa or El Varón del Tango, was an Uruguayan tango singer....
, Nelly Omar, Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche
Roberto Goyeneche was an Argentine tango singer of Basque descent, who epitomized the archetype of 1950s Buenos Aires' bohemian life, and became a living legend in the local music scene.He was known as El Polaco due to his blond hair, and thinness, like the Polish immigrants of the time...
, and Andrés Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro
Andrés Calamaro , is an Argentine musician, composer and Latin Grammy winner. His former band Los Rodríguez was a major success in Spain in the 1990s. He became one of the main icons of the Argentine rock in the last two decades and has sold over 1.3 million copies.-Abuelos de la Nada:Calamaro was...
.
Argentine author Ernesto Sabato
Ernesto Sabato
Ernesto Sabato , was an Argentine writer, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America"...
has said http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/17-3805-2007-05-06.html that he'd give away all he's written for the privilege of being the author of "Sur".