Silent film orchestras

[Jorge Finkielman <finki_1@YAHOO.COM>]

  Que tal:

  In Argentina, while the film industry began to take
form during the 10's, musicians were hired to perform
background music. At first their main objective was to
"cover" the sound of the projectors.

  While film exhibition was in progress, the piano
players began to left their places in many occasions
for tango orchestras or special synphonic ensembles
for particular first run exhibitions.

  The synphonic ensembles usually performed music that
matched the action on the screen. They were available
in the first line theaters.

  Audiences, however, normally opted for the cheaper
second line theater which featured a típica. Here, the
music never matched the action on the screen but the
public never protested or complain.

  By the mid twenties it become evident that large
parts of the public went to the movies just to listen
to the orchestras... and not to watch the films.

  During the last six of seven years of the silent era
movie theaters tried to get the best orchestras for
the show. This was a golden age for our minor art
which is quite documented since many of the orchestras
managed to make recordings for RCA Victor, EMI Odeon
and, briefly, Brunswick (recordings that were
destroyed, for the most part, following some kind of
insane archival policy).

  This golden era came to an end with the sound film
revolution. Gradually, begining in 1930 (the first
sound films and talkies were shown in Buenos Aires a
year earlier), exhibitors began to suppress the
orchestras and causing the first major crisis in the
history of tango. After the carnival dances of 1931,
the silent film musician dissappeared.

  With the public more interested with the songs and
music from the films rather than for the tangos, the
recording industry severed almost all of the
contracts. The most popular, the best-seller
orchestras managed to survive. Most of the others
musicians who conducted orchestras of their own would
never be able to repeat the success they had in the
silent era.

  Only one of the musicians of that time was able to
make a comeback; and quite a comeback since he
achieved a much more important success: Carlos Di
Sarli, who was also an extraordinary piano player and
a great composer.

  Among tango collectors, and I myself, Carlos Di
Sarli's orchestra is by far the favorite. Around 1927
he was able to form his first tango ensemble (orquesta
típica) to perform in the Café Guaraní. His success
was enough to have him hired to perform at the
Renacimiento movie theater and, in 1928, he managed to
get a recording contract with RCA Victor. His first
recordings ("TBC" and "La guitarrita") were recorded
on November 26, 1928.

  Despite that his recordings received critical praise
from the begining to the end, he was a victim of the
sound film revolution since he was not a best-seller.
After his contract with Victor expired, in 1931, it
became difficult for him to continue heading an
orchestra, and he had to disolve it.

  Fortunately, for the sake of tango, around 1936 he
was able to make a comeback (with all of the musicians
of his earlier esemble plus additions) which, two
years later turned into major success. This led him to
a new contract with... RCA Victor!

  Unfortunately, RCA destroyed many of Di Sarli
recordings, which are hard to find. This is
particulary true of his silent film period since less
than half of them were reprinted forty years ago. It
is impossible to find them in the market.

  But must not discuss about Di Sarli and the other
orchestras; we must listen to them.

  Despite that they are under copyright protection,
who wants to listen Carlos Di Sarli's very first
recordings for RCA Victor? ("TBC" and "La guitarrita")
I can send them as MP3 files.


  Saludos desde Peludópolis



  JORGE FINKIELMAN

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