A Media Luz

"A Media Luz"
Song by Carlos Gardel
B-side"Chacarerita del Norte"
ReleasedSeptember 1926 (1926-09)
Recorded1926
GenreTango
Length2:13
LabelDisco Nacional Odeón (18179)
SongwritersEdgardo Donato (melody), Carlos César Lenzi (lyrics)
Carlos Gardel singles chronology
"Mi Mocosita"
(1926) 		"A Media Luz"
(1926) 		"Pá Qué Más"
(1926)

"A Media Luz" (transl. "With Dimmed Lights") is a tango song composed by Edgardo Donato with lyrics by Carlos César Lenzi. Originally produced for an Uruguayan revue, it found success after it was recorded by Carlos Gardel and released on Disco Nacional Odeón in 1926.

Donato and Lenzi's composition became one of the most popular tango songs of all time in Argentina and Uruguay. It has been recorded by several artists and performed by touring orchestras worldwide, and versions of the song have been featured in diverse films.

Writing

During the 1920s, the Uruguayan and Argentine theater revues included the premiere of novel tango numbers composed specifically for the new productions.[1] Argentinian violinist and composer Edgardo Donato was commissioned in 1925 to write a melody for its use in the Uruguayan revue Su majestad la revista ("Her majesty the revue"). With Donato's tune already finished, the writing of the lyrics was assigned to Uruguayan play-writer Carlos César Lenzi.[2] "A Media Luz" debuted on April 3, 1926 with the performance of vedette Lucy Clory at the Albéniz theater in Montevideo, Uruguay.[3][4]

Two accounts surfaced for the origin of the title. The first suggested that two days before the song was premiered, as Donato and the band practiced the unnamed composition at the Mosqués music store in Montevideo, the musicians were bothered by the light of a large chandelier and Donato hinted that they should see how "it comes out with dimmed lights".[5] The second account, by lyricist Francisco García Jiménez, mentioned that as Donato played at a soirée in the residence of the Wilson family of Montevideo, he turned off the main chandelier of the ballroom—which was then illuminated only by the streetlights—and exclaimed, "now with dimmed lights".[6] Lenzi, who was present at the ball, was inspired by Donato's words and wrote the lyrics that night, handing them to Donato the following evening.[6] Lenzi finished the song a month later after refining it and completing of the bridge.[7]

In May 1926, Argentine musical publisher Alfredo Perrotti visited Montevideo looking for new tango numbers. Perrotti and Donato were originally introduced by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, the writer of "La cumparsita". Donato played "A Media Luz" for the publisher, who believed it would become a hit. Perrotti published the sheet music and returned to Montevideo in July to announce that singer Carlos Gardel would record the song, with guitar backings by Guillermo Barbieri and José Ricardo.[8] For the first edition, Donato received 50 m$n (equivalent to $2,000 in 2025).[9]

Release

Publicity for the release featuring Gardel-Razzano published in September 1926 by Caras y Caretas magazine

Gardel's "A Media Luz" was released by Odeón Disco Nacional in September 1926 on the 10-inch form under catalog number 18179, backed with "Chacarerita del Norte".[10][11][12] The record was pressed by the Argentine Talking Machine Works Buenos Aires for Max Glücksmann with matrix number 54043.[13][14] "A Media Luz" was among Gardel's acoustically recorded works.[15] It was credited to Gardel as a soloist, who until 1925 was a part of a duo with José Razzano.[16] By September 13, the first edition of the sheet music was sold out and Donato was paid another 50 m$n for the second printing.[17]

In October 1926, singer Azucena Maizani added the number to her revue at the Teatro de la Comedia in Buenos Aires.[18] At the time, the Argentine Theater Annuary declared it to be the "most played" and "well-known" tango in Europe.[19] Other early recordings included Francisco Canaro and Rosita Quiroga in 1927.[20][21] The same year, Odeón Records released "A Media Luz" by Gardel backed with "Mi Mocosita" under catalog number 182064 in Spain.[22] By January 1928, the song became popular in Madrid: It was being played by instrumental orchestras, player pianos, in cabaret numbers, teahouses and phonographs.[23] "A Media Luz" was also soon adopted by French-based orchestras, including Bianco-Bachicha's, Manuel Pizarro's and Genaro Spósito's. The orchestras toured across Europe, reaching as far as Greece and Turkey.[24] Bianco-Bachicha's L'Orchestre Argentin released their version of "A Media Luz" on Odeon Records.[25] Upon listening to the song in Paris, cultural attaché of the Japanase embassy in France, Baron Tsunayoshi Megata, took a number of copies to Tokyo to introduce the public to tango music.[26][27] In 1934, Donato and his orchestra performed "A Media Luz" in a collaboration program between then-NBC Radio Network's flagship station WEAF and Buenos Aires' Radio Splendid. The program was broadcast both in Argentina and nationally syndicated in the United States.[28] Accordionist Koichi Sugii added the tune to his repertory during his time in Argentina, and, upon his return to Tokyo in 1935, performed it often with Kiyoshi Sakurai's orchestra.[29]

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the label of the record.

Composition

"A Media Luz"
1926 recording of "A Media Luz" by Carlos Gardel
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The lyrics of the song describe an apartment located on the second floor of 348 Corrientes Avenue in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Furnished by Maple & Co., it features a piano, roll-up blinds, a light fixture with a lampshade, a phonograph, a phone, chaise longues, throw pillows, and carpeting. The song's narration mentions tango dancing and the drinking of cocktails, as well as sexual encounters and the use of cocaine.[30][31] Several writers considered the story of "A Media Luz" to be set in a high-end bordello,[32][33] though other sources described it rather as a bachelor apartment.[2][34] Writer José Gobello deemed the composition to be "more lupanarian than erotic".[35]

For the disks released on Odeón Records, the label made the artists substitute the word "victrola" for the more standard "fonola" to avoid publicizing the rival Victor Talking Machine Company.[36] "Juncal 1224" referred to the telephone number of the apartment, in which the word "Juncal" represented the exchange name.[37] At the end of the 1920s, the phone number was in possession of the Gonzales Bonorino family of Buenos Aires.[38] At the time the song was written, the building at Corrientes 348 hosted a shoe-shine salon within a small shop with a decayed façade.[39] In 1931, the address became a part of the complex of the office building Lipsia, erected by German businessman Kurt Berger, owner of the Grafex company.[40] Currently, Corrientes 348 is occupied by the underground parking lot of the building, which has the address written in a fileteado style and commemorative plaques for the composition.[33]

Legacy

Front of Corrientes 348

As Perrotti did not register "A Media Luz" for copyright in the United States at the time of its release, which led to the tune being printed and recorded often without credit to the original authors; Perrotti Publishing later considered starting a lawsuit unfeasible.[41] The lyrics were then registered in the United States under Lenzi's name in 1938.[42] "A Media Luz" was part of Odeon Records' series 54000, a mid-1950s reissue of the acoustic recordings of Gardel between 1917 and 1926. It was paired with "Sueño Marchito" under the catalog number 54043.[43] In 1964, together with "La Cumparsita" and "El Choclo", the Argentine Society of Music Authors and Composers deemed it one of the most popular tango songs.[3] Writer Horacio Ferrer also counted "A Media Luz" as one of the most popular tangos in Argentina and Uruguay, as well as internationally, adding that the composition had become one of the longest lasting numbers in tango repertoires.[44] As of 2007, the heirs of Donato and Lenzi still received royalties for the composition every four months, and their authorization is required for the use of the tango.[33]

The song was performed by actress Aída Luz in the 1940 film Amor.[45] "A Media Luz" became the title-track of a 1947 film starring Hugo del Carril, whose singing performance was featured in it.[46] The same year, the lyrics and verse melody of the song were adapted to English as "Tell Me Marianne" by Bob Musel.[47] The sheet music for the song, credited to the Southern Music Publishing Co., topped the Best-selling Sheet Music chart in the United Kingdom in July 1947.[48]

In March 1952, Champ Butler released a pop song to the tune of Donato's composition entitled "When I Look Into Your Eyes".[49] Libertad Lamarque performed "A Media Luz" in the 1955 film Escuela de música.[50] In 1992, the song was featured in the Martin Brest film Scent of a Woman, starring Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell.[51] Julio Iglesias released a version of the song, along with a videoclip of his performance, in his 1996 album Tango.[52][53] In Manuel Vázquez Montalbán's 1997 novel Quinteto de Buenos Aires, protagonist Pepe Carvalho asks to visit Corrientes 348 upon arriving in the city.[33]

References

  1. ^ Del Priore, Oscar 2011, p. 120.
  2. ^ a b Del Priore, Oscar 2011, p. 121.
  3. ^ a b Curotto, Angel 1964, p. 11.
  4. ^ Perrotti, Alfredo 1926, p. 1.
  5. ^ Evaristo, César 2006, p. 11.
  6. ^ a b Jiménez, Francisco García 1980, p. 162.
  7. ^ Jiménez, Francisco García 1980, p. 166.
  8. ^ Perrotti, Máximo 1993, p. 93.
  9. ^ Billetes Argentinos 2025.
  10. ^ Glücksmann, Max 1926.
  11. ^ Glücksmann, Max 2 1926.
  12. ^ Glücksmann, Max 3 1926.
  13. ^ Odeon records 1926.
  14. ^ Silva, Federico 1971, p. 79.
  15. ^ Silva, Federico 1971, p. 55.
  16. ^ Silva, Federico 1971, pp. 55–56.
  17. ^ Perrotti, Máximo 1993, p. 94.
  18. ^ Tapias, Oscar Jaime Lema 2001, p. 110.
  19. ^ Instituto Argentino del Teatro 1926, p. 454.
  20. ^ Musique & Instruments staff 1927, p. 865.
  21. ^ Evaristo, César 2006, p. 12.
  22. ^ Benedetti, Héctor Ángel 2000, p. 260.
  23. ^ Araceli, Gabriel 1928, p. 44.
  24. ^ Barela, Liliana 2000, pp. 104–108.
  25. ^ Odeon Records 1928, p. 32.
  26. ^ Ferrer, Horacio 1996, p. 94.
  27. ^ Agence France Presse staff 1996, p. 2C.
  28. ^ The Springfield Daily Republican staff 1934, p. 22.
  29. ^ Alposta, Luis 1987, pp. 92, 164.
  30. ^ Arias, Pedro Eliseo & Capristo, Leonardo 2003, p. 384.
  31. ^ Trochon, Ivette 2003, p. 44.
  32. ^ Benedetti, Héctor 2015, p. 147.
  33. ^ a b c d Monsalve, Jaime Andrés 2007.
  34. ^ Salas, Horacio 1986, p. 136.
  35. ^ Gobello, José 2002, p. 151.
  36. ^ Del Priore, Oscar 2011, p. 122.
  37. ^ TN staff 2020.
  38. ^ Palma, Atilio 1929, p. 238.
  39. ^ Jiménez, Francisco García 1980, p. 168.
  40. ^ Cantini, Carlos 2025.
  41. ^ Perrotti, Máximo 1993, pp. 164–166.
  42. ^ Library of Congress 1939, p. 2078.
  43. ^ Silva, Federico 1971, pp. 78–80.
  44. ^ Ferrer, Horacio 1977, pp. 104–105.
  45. ^ Guibourg, Edmundo 1940, p. 12.
  46. ^ Mariño, Cecilia Nuria Gil & Miranda, Laura 2019, p. 62.
  47. ^ Hunter, Nigel 1999, p. 76.
  48. ^ Billboard staff 1947, p. 28.
  49. ^ Shoenfeld, Herm 1952, p. 42.
  50. ^ Riera, Emilio García 1992, p. 30.
  51. ^ Sight and Sound Film Review staff 1993, p. 54.
  52. ^ Iglesias, Julio 1996.
  53. ^ Iglesias, Julio 1997.
Sources
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_media_luz