Francisco Rotundo

Francisco Rotundo (4 November 1919 – 26 September 1997) was a pianist, composer, and orchestra conductor dedicated to the tango genre.

Personal life He was born in the Belgrano neighborhood of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his father owned an important company in the paper industry, which the musician took over after his father's death.

Since childhood, he had an inclination for music; he studied piano and earned a teaching degree, which he used to work at various conservatories.

Professional career At the age of 17, he formed his first ensemble, and in 1944 he won a tango orchestra competition held at the traditional Palermo Palace hall, located on Godoy Cruz between Santa Fe and Cerviño, where at that time Ricardo Tanturi's orchestra performed with its iconic singers: Alberto Castillo and Enrique Campos.

Finally, he briefly added the singer Roberto Argentino, who recorded only the tango Qué tarde que has venido on September 18, 1956.

Dissolution of the orchestra and subsequent return In 1957, Rotundo dissolved his orchestra and devoted himself to running the family business, which he left at the end of the 1960s to return to music. Together with his friend Titi Rossi, he opened La Casa de Rotundo, initially located in the Liniers neighborhood and later in Villa Luro, a venue where star figures of tango performed, including Jorge Casal, Carlos Roldán, Alfredo Del Río, Mario Bustos, Alfredo Dalton, and the maestro Horacio Salgán.

As a composer As a composer, he achieved significant success with the tango "Un infierno," with lyrics by Reinaldo Yiso, in the versions performed by Floreal Ruiz and Alberto Morán. Other pieces included the instrumental tango Para florearse, Siempre tu voz, Rezongo malevo, Un cariño, Sin remordimiento, and, together with Ernesto Rossi, a tango dedicated to the football club Estudiantes de La Plata.

Francisco Rotundo died in Buenos Aires on September 26, 1997.