Pedro Maffia
Encyclopedia
Pedro Mario Maffia was an Argentine tango
Bandoneon
ist, bandleader
, composer
and teacher, as well as starring in several tango films.
Maffia had a hard upbringing, he was beaten with a chain by his father and lived in dire poverty. He eventually ran away from home and relocated to the Buenos Aires province town of Punta Alta, where he was discovered by Carlos Gardel
and José Razzano.
Maffia is remembered as a pioneer of the Bandoneon
and a great stylist. He was one of the first to play the instrument a cappella
. He had a relaxed playing style and an inventiveness for misplaced accents and nuances.
Maffia starred in a number of tango films including Tango (1933), Canillita
(1936) and Fueye querido (1966). He also worked as a music teacher, and wrote an important method of teaching the bandoneon
.
The bandoneonist Aníbal Troilo
dedicated a song to him entitled "A Pedro Maffia".
Argentine tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
Bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
ist, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and teacher, as well as starring in several tango films.
Maffia had a hard upbringing, he was beaten with a chain by his father and lived in dire poverty. He eventually ran away from home and relocated to the Buenos Aires province town of Punta Alta, where he was discovered by Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel
Carlos Gardel was a singer, songwriter and actor, and is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was born in Toulouse, France, although he never acknowledged his birthplace publicly, and there are still claims of his birth in Uruguay. He lived in Argentina from the age of two...
and José Razzano.
Maffia is remembered as a pioneer of the Bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
and a great stylist. He was one of the first to play the instrument a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. He had a relaxed playing style and an inventiveness for misplaced accents and nuances.
Maffia starred in a number of tango films including Tango (1933), Canillita
Canillita
Canillita is a 1936 Argentine musical film directed and written by Lisandro de la Tea and Manuel Roneima. The film starred Amanda Ledesma and premiered on 26 March 1936 in Buenos Aires.-Cast:*Amanda Ledesma*Adolfo Alsina*Príncipe Azul...
(1936) and Fueye querido (1966). He also worked as a music teacher, and wrote an important method of teaching the bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
.
The bandoneonist Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
dedicated a song to him entitled "A Pedro Maffia".