Ángel Villoldo

Ángel Gregorio Villoldo Arroyo (16 February 1861 – 14 October 1919) was an Argentine musician and an early pioneer of tango music. He was a lyricist, composer, and one of the major singers of the era, and he transformed the Spanish tanguillos, cuplés, and habaneras into Argentine rhythms. His most famous works include "El Choclo" and "La Morocha", two of the first tangos to achieve mass circulation and international success.

Early life Villoldo was born in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Barracas in 1861. Before dedicating himself to music, he held various jobs, including as a typographer, tram driver, circus clown, and journalist. He learned to play guitar and sing largely on his own.

International dissemination and recordings In 1907, under contract with the Buenos Aires department store Gath & Chaves, Villoldo traveled with Gobbi and Rodríguez to Paris, where they made pioneering tango recordings, including of "La Morocha" and "El Choclo". Among first tango discs recorded in Argentina His pioneering efforts in Paris and the U.S. gave tango its first foothold on the international stage.

Selected tangos

"El Choclo" (1903) "La Morocha" (1905, with Alfredo Eusebio Gobbi and Flora Rodríguez) "El Porteñito" "Cantar eterno"