Mariano Alberto Martínez (18 February 1918 13 April 2016), known professionally as Mariano Mores, was an Argentine

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

composer and pianist.

Biography

Mariano Martínez was born in the

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...

section of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, in 1918. When he was a child, he played classical music on the piano very well. He made his professional debut at the age of 14 at Café Vicente on Corrientes Avenue. Mores took classical music lessons at the D´Andrea conservatoire in

Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan� ...

. After a brief spell with the folk group "La Cuyanita," he was hired as conductor and pianist with

Roberto Firpo Roberto Firpo (May 10, 1884June 14, 1969) was an Argentine tango pianist, composer, and leader. Firpo was among the first innovators of the classic tango music genre. He was the establisher of the piano in the tango orchestra. Firpo was born i ...

's orchestra. He created the Trio Mores with the sisters Margot and Myrna Mores and began composing music. He will later marry Myrna and adopt her artistic surname as his own. In 1938 he wrote the soundtrack of the film ''Senderos de Santa Fe'' and met showbiz figures such as composer Valdo Sciammarella and playwright

Alberto Vaccarezza Bartolomé Ángel Venancio Alberto Vaccarezza (1886–1959) was an Argentine poet and playwright. Vaccarezza was born in Buenos Aires on April 1, 1886. He is usually credited as the foremost exponent of the sainete genre, having written its mo ...

, who helped him become lead pianist with

Francisco Canaro Francisco Canaro (November 26, 1888 – December 14, 1964) was a Uruguayan violinist and tango orchestra leader. Canaro was born in San José de Mayo, Uruguay, in 1888. His parents were Italian immigrants, and later, when he was less than 10 y ...

's orchestra in 1939. Mores left this orchestra in 1948 to form his own, which made its debut at the Presidente Alvear Theater. Pianist, composer and conductor, Mariano Mores established himself as one of the leading tango performers. Together with Enrique Santos Discépolo, he authored such classics as ''Uno'' (1943), ''Sin palabras'' (1946) and ''Cafetín de Buenos Aires'' (1948). Mores and José María Contursi wrote ''En esta tarde gris'' (1941), ''Tu piel de jazmín'' (1941), ''Grisel'' (1942) and ''Cristal'' (1944). He co-wrote ''La calesita'' (1953) and ''El patio de la morocha'' (1951) with

Cátulo Castillo Ovidio Cátulo González Castillo (6 August 1906 – 19 October 1975) was an Argentine poet and tango music composer. He was the author of many famous works, such as ', ''El aguacero'' (lyrics by ), ' and ''Caserón de tejas'' (both with music by ...

, ''Una lágrima tuya'' (1949) with

Homero Manzi Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos. He was born on November 1 of 1907 in Añatuya (province of Santiago del Estero ...

and, ''Cuartito Azul'' (1939) with Mario Battistella. Mariano Mores took part in several musical films together with such stars as

Delia Garcés Delia Amadora García Gerboles better known as Delia Garcés (; 13 October 1919 – 7 November 2001) was an Argentine film actress of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema (1940–1960). She made almost 30 appearances in film between 1937 and 1959 ...

, Osvaldo Miranda,

Virginia Luque Virginia Luque (born Violeta Mabel Domínguez; 4 October 1927 – 3 June 2014) was an Argentine tango singer and film actress. She made nearly 20 appearances in tango films of Argentina between 1943 and 1976. Born in Buenos Aires, she began her c ...

and

Hugo del Carril Pierre Bruno Hugo Fontana, otherwise known as Hugo del Carril (30 November 1912 – 13 August 1989 in Buenos Aires), was an Argentine film actor, film director and tango singer of the classic era. Early life Born in Buenos Aires, del Carril ...

. He starred in the 1949 films ''

Corrientes, calle de ensueños ''Corrientes, Street of Dreams'' ( es, Corrientes, calle de ensueños) is a 1949 Argentine musical film directed by Román Viñoly Barreto and starring Mariano Mores and Yeya Duciel. Plot A story about a humble musician who triumphs by over ...

'', and ''

La Doctora quiere tangos LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' with

Mirtha Legrand Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez (born 23 February 1927), known by her stage name Mirtha Legrand (″Legrand″ being a portmanteau for the French , "the great") is an Argentine actress and television presenter. With an 80-year career, Legran ...

. For the 1953 film ''

La voz de mi ciudad ''The Voice of My City'' ( es, La Voz de mi ciudad) is a 1953 Argentine musical comedy film directed by Tulio Demicheli and starring Mariano Mores and Diana Maggi. Plot Roberto Moran (Mariano Mores) has just arrived in Buenos Aires from the pr ...

'' he composed one of his most remembered milongas, ''Taquito militar''. In television he starred in series ''M ama a M'' (1957) and ''La familia Mores'' (1967). Mores created the modern tango sextet (organ, piano, bandoneon, electric guitar, keyboard, drums and bass) and established himself as one of the leading figures of the Argentine popular music. Mores died on 13 April 2016 at the age of 98.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mores, Mariano 1918 births 2016 deaths Argentine composers Argentine pianists Male pianists Argentine tango musicians Musicians from Buenos Aires People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Spanish descent