Juan Canaro (23 June 1892 – 16 March 1977) was an Uruguayan

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

bandoneonist The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...

, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

who settled in Argentina. His brothers were the orchestra conductors

Francisco Canaro Francisco Canaro, also known by the nickname Pirincho, (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 Rafael Canaro.

Professional career

In 1907, his neighbor and close friend Vicente Fiorentino, who already played the violin in small groups, encouraged Juan to take up studying the bandoneon, teaching him some simple tunes using numbered notation. After much effort, he managed to learn two pieces. He continued studying but didn’t dare to perform in public. He eventually did so at some local festivals alongside Vicente Fiorentino (violin) and Luis Martínez (Papanova) on guitar. After overcoming that challenge, they later performed in Junín and

Pergamino Pergamino () is an Argentine city in the Buenos Aires Province, Province of Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 104,985 inhabitants as per the and is the administrative seat of its county, Pergamino Partido. Its UN/LOCODE is ARPGO. Histor ...

. Juan Canaro made his debut in 1917 as a bandoneon player in his brother Francisco's orchestra, which was performing at the Royal Pigall cabaret at the time. Juan had already composed his first tango, ''Mano brava'', which he dedicated to the bandoneon player Minotto Di Cicco and which premiered in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

in 1915. He spent many years in the ensemble of his famous brother, with whom he traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1925 and to

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the following year. He returned to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from North America, and together with his brother Rafael Canaro, led an orchestra with which they toured several European countries, promoting tango until 1931. Upon returning to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, he performed on the radio with his own ensemble, also playing at dances and nightclubs. Always with his own group, he toured throughout the Americas and in 1954 even traveled to

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, where he performed with great success. With his orchestra, he recorded for the labels Victor, Odeon, and Pampa; celebrated female singers such as the sisters Violeta and

Lidia Desmond Lidia Desmond (1907 in Buenos Aires – ? in ibid) was an Argentine actress, Vedette (cabaret), vedette, and singer. Career Desmond was a tango singer. With her sister, Violeta Desmond, they formed a popular duo in the 1930s and 1940s known as ...

, María de la Fuente, Irma Flores, Dorita Verdi, and Susy Leiva performed with him, as well as male singers Aldo Campoamor,

Fernando Díaz Fernando Díaz (''floruit'' 1071–1106) was a Spanish nobleman and military leader in the Kingdom of León, the most powerful Asturian magnate of the period. He held the highest rank in the kingdom, that of count (Latin ''comes''), from at least 2 ...

, and Roberto Arrieta. He composed several pieces, collaborating with Juan Andrés Caruso, Jesús Fernández Blanco, Carlos Pesce, Osvaldo Sosa Cordero, and

Fernando Ochoa Fernando César Ochoa (also called Goyo Godoy; 29 November 1905 – 23 March 1974) was an actor from Argentina who appeared on radio, in films and on TV. Life Fernando César Ochoa was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires, on 29 November 1905. His par ...

. Juan Canaro was a close friend of

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...

, who recorded his tangos ''Desengaño'', ''El pinche'', ''Camarada'', and ''La brisa'', with lyrics by Caruso.

Compositions

References

External links

Juan Canaro
at

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Canaro, Juan 1892 births 1977 deaths Naturalized citizens of Argentina Argentine conductors (music) Uruguayan musicians Argentine composers Uruguayan composers