His Music Notebook

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• HORACIO SALGÁNPresents his MUSIC
• Biography of Maestro Horacio SalgánBorn in Buenos Aires on June 15, 1916, Horacio Salgán began his professional music career at just 14 years old, working as a pianist at the Universal Cinema in Villa Devoto. He later served as the organist at the neighborhood's San Antonio Church before joining Radio El Mundo as their resident organist, while also performing at the Gran Cinema Florida. In his early years, he performed in various ensembles, mastering a diverse repertoire that spanned jazz, folk, tango, tropical rhythms, waltzes, and milongas. One of his most defining projects was his own orchestra, which he led from 1944 to 1957. It was within this formation that legendary singers Edmundo Rivero and Roberto Goyeneche achieved great success, both having been "discovered" by Salgán. In 1957, Salgán began performing alongside the renowned guitarist Ubaldo de Lío, a partnership that later led to the creation of the iconic Quinteto Real. He also showcased his brilliance in a celebrated piano duo with the great Maestro Dante Amicarelli. The entire repertoire for his Orchestra, the duo with de Lío, and the Quinteto Real consisted of Salgán's own work, featuring his custom arrangements of popular tangos, milongas, and waltzes, alongside his original compositions. Among his most famous masterpieces are "A fuego lento" "Grillito", and "La llamo silbando" Another monumental work in his catalog is the "Oratorio Carlos Gardel"—featuring lyrics by Horacio Ferrer—written for symphony orchestra, mixed choir, soloists, and narrator. This major piece premiered in 1975 under the baton of Maestro Guillermo Scarabino, was later performed at the Teatro Colón conducted by Maestro Ignacio Calderón, and was recorded under the direction of Maestro Simón Blech.
• Awards and DistinctionsSilver Tuning Fork – San Jorge Choir Festival (Santa Fe). "Knight of the Bombo Legüero" Gold Medal – Awarded by the Ábalos Brothers. Carlos Gardel International Award – Interpress. Gold Record – Philips. Silver Obelisk Award – Mariano Marcolla. Honorary Plaque – Editorial Korn (Korn Publishing). Honorary Plaque – Castello Vecchio. Grand Prize of Honor – Argentine Society of Authors and Composers (SADAIC). Merit Award – SODRA (Society of Distributors of Newspapers, Magazines, and Related Products). Honorary Plaque – Min-On Concert Association (Japan). Carlos Gardel Award – Argentine Tango Cultural Center. Platinum Konex Award – Konex Foundation, "Tango Performer" category (1985 and 1995). Grand Prize for Best Tango Performer – SADAIC. "Los Mejores" Award – Casablanca. "Distinguished Visitor" Diploma – Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. Roberto Firpo Foundation Cup. "Quijote" Award – Casa del Tango Foundation. Medal of Honor – City Council of Granada, Spain. Medal of Honor – Municipality of Avellaneda (Buenos Aires Province). Honorary Plaque – Tango Cultural Movement. Honorary Plaque – Miami Technical College. Honorary Plaque – "Los del Tango" Association and Magazine. Honorary Plaque – RCA Records (Argentina). "Distinguished Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires" – Named in 1990 by the Honorable Deliberative Council. Grand Prize for Best National Author – SADAIC (1992). "Sea Wolf" (Lobo de Mar) Award for Culture. Special Distinction – Academic Octet of Caracas. Medal of Honor – Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation. Honorary Plaque – Rotary Club. "Master of Art" Distinction – Secretariat of Culture of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, presented during the Ibero-American Days of Art Education (1999). United Nations Recognition – For his invaluable contribution to Argentine society. CAMU-UNESCO Grand Prize (2000). Latin Grammy Nomination (2000). "Best Tango Duo of the 20th Century" – Named alongside Ubaldo de Lío by the Buenos Aires City Legislature on April 18, 2000. "Best Tango Quintet of the 20th Century" – The Quinteto Real was honored with this distinction by the Buenos Aires City Legislature on April 18, 2000. Commemorative Bust – Sculpted by Coca Ocampo and placed in the Writers' Garden at the National Library (2002).
• Page 4Clarín Award – "Tango Figure of the Year" (2002). Clarín Award (2008–2009). Commemorative Scroll – Presented by Bergara Leumann. Diamond Konex Award (2005). Honorary Plaque – AADI (Argentine Association of Performers). Creation of the Horacio Salgán National Tango Award – Established in his honor in 2010. Raíces Award. María Guerrero Award. Bicentennial Award – Government of the City of Buenos Aires (August 2010). Corresponding Member – Appointed to the Argentine National Academy of Music. National Arts Fund Grand Prize (2011). "Emeritus Personality of Argentine Culture" – Distinguished by the National Secretariat of Culture. Over time, the awards and accolades bestowed upon Horacio Salgán have continued to accumulate, practically without interruption.
• Quotes and Testimonials“...He knows everything there is to know and approaches his work with the authority of a classic.” “All pianists owe something to Salgán, who in my opinion is the number one in Argentina, even better than Bill Evans, and one of the best pianists in the world.” Osvaldo Tarantino, tango pianist.
• Page 6Horacio possesses a magnificent facility; when he plays, he gives the impression that it is effortless, and that anyone, if they wished, could play just like him. That is truly the hallmark of a great artist. Rubinstein had that quality too. A great artist gives the impression that a piece is either so difficult that only they can do it, or so easy that anyone could. Horacio belongs, for me, to the second category. It is a wonderful thing because you can immediately see the joy in the audience—the feeling that they could do it themselves. He has a magnificent technique and a very full, almost singing sound, which is what made him the legendary pianist he is. You cannot talk about tango in the 20th century without talking about Horacio Salgán; he is one of the definitive figures in its development. Horacio is both a brilliant pianist who writes perfectly for his instrument and a master orchestrator for different ensembles. He continues to possess a truly extraordinary vitality. I saw him the last time I was in Buenos Aires, and I hope he stays with us for many, many years and continues to write so magnificently. I have the deepest affection and enormous admiration for him.”
• MUSIC THEORY: THE ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONThe Canvas: Staff and Measure The template upon which music is written. Each line and space represents a letter of the musical alphabet.
• Page 8Measure: A metric unit that groups beats in music. Repeat and Navigation Symbols organize the score like a map: reading ceases to be linear.
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• Page 10~ I DIDN'T APPROACH TANGO TO SAVE IT, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT; IT WAS MY MODEST WAY OF EXPRESSING MY~ LO ESENCIAL DE UN TANGO ES SU “INTERIOR”, NO SU ORNAMENTACIÓN ~ MUSICAL LANGUAGE. ~ HORACIO SALGÁN - HIS MUSIC NOTEBOOK
• Page 11~ LO ESENCIAL DE UN TANGO ES SU “INTERIOR”, NO SU ORNAMENTACIÓN ~ ~ ROBERTO GOYENECHE WAS STILL WORKING AS A BUS DRIVER WHEN I CALLED HIM ~ 1
• Page 12~ LO ESENCIAL DE UN TANGO ES SU “INTERIOR”, NO SU ORNAMENTACIÓN ~ ~ WHEN MAKING AN ARRANGEMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO RESPECT THE ESSENCE OF THE ORIGINAL WORK. ~ HORACIO SALGÁN - HIS MUSIC NOTEBOOK
• Page 13~ LO ESENCIAL DE UN TANGO ES SU “INTERIOR”, NO SU ORNAMENTACIÓN ~ ~ AS FOR THE RHYTHMIC ASPECT, THE POSSIBILITIES OF TANGO ARE PRACTICALLY ENDLESS ~ 1
• Page 14Thank you for being part of this journey. This notebook is born from the desire to see music continue to find new spaces to live in.
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