Aníbal Troilo

Aníbal Troilo was born on July 11, 1914, to Felisa Bagnoli and Aníbal Troilo, in the well-known barrio of Abasto.[1] His father nicknamed him "Pichuco", an alteration of the Neapolitan "picciuso", meaning "weepy", or "crybaby". He had one brother and one sister. During his childhood, Troilo listened to the bandoneon in the bars of his neighbourhood. At the age of 10, he convinced his mother to buy him his first bandoneon. Troilo kept the instrument and played it for the rest of his life.

When he was 11, in 1925, Pichuco played his first performance in a bar. At the age of 14, he formed his first quintet. He studied until his third year of high school at Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, one of the most prestigious high schools in Argentina and the whole of Latin America.

In December 1930, Troilo was hired to be part of the famous Vardaro-Pugliese sextet of violinist Elvino Vardaro, pianist Osvaldo Pugliese, violinist Alfredo Gobbi, bandoneon player Miguel Jurado (later replaced by Ciriaco Ortiz), and double bass player Luis Addesso. Following this, Troilo played in numerous orchestras, including those of Juan "Pacho" Maglio, Julio de Caro, Juan d'Arienzo, Angel D'Agostino, and Juan Carlos Cobián.

With his own orchestra, (whose members varied greatly), he played almost continuously, both live and in the studio, until 1975, the year of his death. From 1953 until the mid-60s, Troilo also played with guitarist Roberto Grela as a duo, which later became the Troilo-Grela Quartet. In 1968, having distanced himself from Grela, he formed his own ensemble, the Aníbal Troilo Quartet, which additionally consisted of Ubaldo de Lío on electric guitar, Osvaldo Berlingieri on piano, and Rafael del Bagno on double bass. Berlingieri was later replaced by José Colángelo, who also played in the Aníbal Troilo Orchestra during its final years. In addition to this, Troilo recorded two songs ("El motivo" and "Volver") as a bandoneon duo with Astor Piazzolla.

Aníbal Troilo (in the centre, with bandoneon). From left to right: Osvaldo Fresedo, José Razzano, Francisco Canaro and Enrique Santos Discépolo, in 1944.

The death of Troilo's best friend, the poet Homero Manzi (1907-1951), caused him to go into a deep depression that lasted for more than a year. In the poet's memory, he composed the tango Responso.

The "Supreme Bandoneón of Buenos Aires" died on May 18, 1975, at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, from a stroke and subsequent cardiac arrest; he is buried in the "Rincón de los Notables" (Famous corner) of the La Chacarita cemetery, next to Agustín Magaldi and Roberto Goyeneche.

In 2005, the National Congress of Argentina declared July 11 (Troilo's birthday) National Bandoneón Day, to commemorate one of the nation's most celebrated musicians.[2]

Partial list of original tangos composed by Aníbal Troilo:

• The Tango Returns to Paris (1948)
• Mi noche triste (1952)
• Vida nocturna (1955)
• Prisioneros de una noche (1960)
• Buenas noches, Buenos Aires (1964)
• Somos los mejores (1968)
• Tango Argentino (1969)
• Ésta es mi Argentina (1974)
• El canto cuenta su historia (1976)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aníbal Troilo.

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• Anibal Troilo Discography (El Recodo Tango)