Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez (March 28, 1897 – April 25, 1948), also known as Becho, was a Uruguayan musician, composer and journalist.
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
Editorial Musical Alfredo Perroti. · Public domain
- Name
- Gerardo Anacleto Matos Rodríguez
- Birth Name
- Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez
- Birthplace
- Montevideo, Uruguay
- Born
- March 28, 1897
- Occupation
- Composer, journalist, piano player
- Died
- 1948. · Montevideo.
- Nationality
- Uruguay.
- Fields
- tango.
- Languages
- Spanish.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez (March 28, 1897 – April 25, 1948), also known as Becho, was a Uruguayan musician, composer and journalist.
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wikidata · Q937502 · wikipedia · Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gerardo Anacleto Matos Rodríguez • Birth Name — Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez • Birthplace — Montevideo, Uruguay • Born — March 28, 1897 • Place of death — Montevideo, Uruguay • Genre — Tango • Occupation — Composer, journalist, piano player • Instrument — Piano • Alias — Becho • Years Active — 1917–1948
Background and early career
Background and early career
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez was born in Montevideo, the son of the owner of the Moulin Rouge, a popular local cabaret. He studied architecture, but did not complete the course. He began composing as a young student in 1917, and his first known work was "La Cumparsita", which he wrote on the piano of the Federación de Estudiantes of Uruguay. It became one of the most recognizable tango pieces, though Matos was initially too shy to play the piece himself and it became well known through the performance of others. He travelled widely throughout Europe and stayed in Paris for a time, as well as working as Uruguayan consul to Germany. In 1931, he collaborated on the film score for Luces de Buenos Aires, shot in Joinville-le-Pont, France, and starring renowned tango vocalist Carlos Gardel.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1948
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez died at Montevideo.
Principal compositions
• Illustration — Breyer Hermanos, La Cumparsita, 1916 The most famous classic tango of all times is "La Cumparsita", written by Matos Rodríguez in 1916, with lyrics added later by Pascual Contursi and Enrique Pedro Maroni. Roberto Firpo, director and pianist of the orchestra that premiered the song, added parts of his tangos "La Gaucha Manuela" and "Curda Completa" to Matos' carnival march, resulting in "La Cumparsita". Matos Rodríguez also composed pieces for theater plays premiered in Buenos Aires, among them Manuel Romero's El Gran Circo Rivolta. He led his own tango orchestra in Montevideo for a short time afterwards. Other tangos composed by him include: “Che papusa, oí”, “Son grupos”, “Yo tuve una novia”, “Cuando bronca el temporal”, “Hablame”, “Pobre corazón”, “Haceme caso a mí”, “Canto por no llorar”, “Rosa reseca”, “Botija linda”, “El pescador”, “Te fuiste, ¡ja, ja!”, “Adiós Argentina”, “Mi provinciana”, “La milonga azul”, “Dale celos”, “Raspail”, “Mocosita”, “La muchacha del circo”, and “San Telmo”. Rodríguez collaborated with the lyricists Enrique Cadícamo, Victor Soliño, Juan B. A. Reyes, Manuel Romero and Fernán Silva Valdés. With the latter he wrote a series of Canciones Montevideanas ("Songs of Montevideo"), including "Margarita Punzó". He died in Montevideo after a long illness in 1948.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."La cumparsita", el tango más famoso del mundo, cumple 100 años CNN. es. Loaiza. Melissa Velásquez. 2024-08-30. 2017-05-12.
- 2."El tango más famoso del mundo": Uruguay celebró los 100 años de "La Cumparsita" y reabrió la polémica sobre su origen.
- 3.¿Cuál es el secreto del éxito de "La Cumparsita", la canción más famosa del tango que cumple 100 años?.
- 4.La cumparsita: el tango más famoso del mundo.
- 5.Catálogo Biográfico de Autores Uruguayos.
- 6.Quién fue quién en la cultura uruguaya.
- 7.Mujeres y hombres que hicieron el tango. 950-898-081-8.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q937502: Gerardo Matos RodríguezWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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