Tango Musicians Against the Music Film

In 1930, the sound film—in particular, the sound film with musical numbers (henceforth, the music film)—invaded Buenos Aires. Film presentations had never been completely silent. However, the synchronization between film and sound proved to be a difficult technological problem that was not solved reliably until the late 1920s. But even before silent films became “talkies”, their performances were accompanied by music. Musical entertainment played an important role in the movie theaters. Not only did music accompany the film during its showing, music was also played for the entertainment of the audience during breaks and intermissions. The large movie theaters in Buenos Aires typically engaged three orchestras: a large “symphonic” orchestra for the accompaniment of the file, and an orquesta típica and a jazz band playing alternately during intermissions.

[In the years before the music film made its appearance, music orchestras had become a major attraction with which the owners of the great movie theaters tried to draw in the audience. The most successful of these orchestras was the one of Julio De Caro. It performed at the “Real Cine”, “the last bastion against the music film” (De Caro), for the “fabulous amount” of 14,000 Pesos per month, the singer not included. De Caro's orchestra was financially perhaps the most successful orchestra in Buenos Aires. Some six years earlier at the "Vogue's Club", De Caro secured a contract for the phenomenal amount of 6,500 Pesos per month, which meant that every musician had a monthly salary of more that 1,000 Pesos. A young man making half his salary at the time would have been “an excellent catch for even the most demanding matchmaking mother”.]

The music films shown in 1930 broke new ground. Not only were many shot in color and displayed luxuriant sets, they were conceived as musical entertainment, so the music was an integral part of the film. The film provided the music, the singers, and the orchestras. Great news for cinema owners: one could dispense with the orchestras all together! Moreover, while silent movies and later the “talkies” had been a competition to the theater stage, the music film competed with the music stage, too.

In view of the overwhelming success of the films with the audience, it is understandable that musicians, composers, song writers, and playwrights were concerned about their future. Voices were heard calling for a prohibition of music films. For the owners of the great movie theaters, the music film was like manna from heaven; others, who suffered the consequences, foresaw ruin and desperation.

The following article, published 1930 in Buenos Aires, reflects the commotion caused by the clamorous success of the music film. The author does not offer an opinion but renders the beliefs and sentiments of the parties involved. The pictures included here were printed after the article. There is no correlation made between the statements printed in the article and the people shown in the pictures. The parties cited remained anonymous.

The Music Film Makes the Cinema Orchestras “Sound Off” in Buenos Aires

(By Emilio Dupuy de Lome, Caras y Caretas, Buenos Aires, 1930)

An Orchestra Conductor Talks

The music film is our ruin. We have been expelled by the new North-American invention. No less than 5,000 musicians are facing the terrible problem of unemployment. What can we do? To whom can we turn? This invention will be progress, but it should be prohibited in favor of Argentinian musicians who, from one day to the next, are pushed into poverty.

A Cinema Owner Talks

Finally we are free of the orchestras! They had already ruined us as well as the audience: us, because they impose on us their exploitive way of working; the audience, because this playing one piece and then resting ten minutes is not appreciated.

A Composer of Argentinian Music Talks

Step by step, the music film will terminate the patriotic sentiment of the audience.The music of Argentina is replaced by North-American music in the films, and our new generations will get used to listen to nothing else but shimmys and foxtrots.

José Razzano, left, and Julio De Caro, right, signing a petition for the prohibition of music films

The Director of an Orquesta Típica Talks

The audience misses our presence at the movies. We used to be the darling child of cinema visitors. When we were alternating with jazz orchestras and it was our turn to play, the audience rejoiced in anticipation of listening to our mournful tangos. It is the national spirit, pulsating in the spectators, that the music film is destroying. What do they want with these records?

A Record Producer Talks

The performer, the text writer, the composer, the singer of Argentinian music has had few resources besides the record. The record carried songs, dances, and melodies to the last corner of the Republic. If the record is a pillar of support to musicians and authors, to actors and singers, how can they think of it now as an enemy of the Argentinian musician.

A Distributor of Music Films Talks

I think it is a great mistake to slander the music film. Progress cannot be stopped with nationalistic campaigns. The same right to protection that the musicians are demanding today—asking for a ban on music films, since they harm a minority of the profession (no more than 250 musicians are out of work due to music films)—should have been claimed by the cart drivers when the railroad left them with their carts grounded in the sheds.

Max Glücksmann, the most important film distributor in Argentina, left, and M. González, the promoter of music films, right. Many of the great tango musicians (Canaro, Gardel, Fresedo, Firpo, Lomuto, etc.) had recording contracts with Glücksmann in 1930.

A Producer of Argentinian Films Talks

Hopefully, we will be able to make Argentinian music films. To achieve this, it would suffice if those who shout against the foreign music film would concern themselves a little with the corresponding Argentinian industry by providing their cooperation and support. But when we want to engage a singer, a tango musician, an orquesta típica, or any Argentinian jazz band, they let us down by demanding salaries that Caruso did not earn at the Metropolitan in New York.

An Advocate of the Language Talks

The music film is one of the greatest catastrophes that has befallen our people. The music film will slowly but surely destroy our national identity and make our children forget their Spanish, to speak only English. Not being used to listen to anything but dialogs and songs in English at the cinema, the language of their elders will be forgotten.

A Theater Impresario Talks

We, the Argentinian theater impresarios, are delighted with the music film. This year [1930], in which the new cinematographic invention has invaded our theaters, is becoming the most successful one for the Argentinian theaters. In the first three months they have earned more than 180,000 pesos more than during the same period last year. I attribute this to the music film for various reasons: first, this show is expensive and the audience comes to the theater for that; second, the neighborhood cinemas that used to draw the audience from us have raised their prices and are cheating the spectators with “music films based on phonographs”; and, third, the public—being used to silent movies—has lost its taste for the talking ones.

A Spectator Talks

When the film is good, the music cinema is a beauty. This is proven by the crowds at the theaters which show authentic music films; there are no more than 40 in all of Buenos Aires. The audience fills the theaters with interesting films and does not attend the others.

Adolfo Carabelli, leaning against his Victrola, says philosophically: "If one doors closes, a hundred others open..."

A Composer of Music Talks

There is another aspect to the problem of the music film, and that is the invasion of the North-American record, which has taken more than 80% of sales from the national music record. Why? Because, the music themes being popularized by such and such a music film, the sale of the corresponding record is enormous. On the other hand, since now the audience does not listen to Argentinian music, the sale of the native record diminishes every day, and we go to ruin.

Finding Open Doors

It took until 1933 that a full-fledged music film industry developed in Argentina—then, of course, featuring tango and its greatest stars such as Carlos Gardel, Libertad Lamarque, and many others. In the meantime, musicians took advantage of the popularity of the music film were they could. No one was perhaps more enterprising in finding outlets for his music and his orchestra than Francisco Canaro.

Canaro and his orchestra at a recording session

As the music music films gained popularity, Canaro quickly recorded the most popular pieces—tango or not—on record with his own orchestra.

Excerpt from a Odeon-Disco Nacional (Max Glücksmann) advertisement of 1930

Five years later, 1935, Canaro had moved his music to theater stage, giving musical comedies with tango music, and had bought a film studio to produce his own music films.

© 2017 Wolfgang Freis