vals

En diciembre de 1971 en una revista se publicó un artículo que relataba los orígenes del vals peruano y en él se hizo un breve repaso a la biografía del periodista Federico Barreto, autor del soneto que habría sido la base de la letra del popular vals “Ódiame”.

Primer programa reducido en duración de Afrika Paprika. Folk gallego, aires tunecinos, pop francés y kirguís y actuación soul-rock ucraniana en vivo.

Vi er klar til nytårsfest med champagneglas og fyrværkeri! Vi lytter til alskens festlig musik - både berusende valse og bragende festfyrværkeristykker og tager en tur rundt om kloden for at se hvordan fejringer foregår udenlands.

Podcast Eclécitco donde sonaran diferentes Ritmos. Desde el medioevo con la invención del pentagrama y las notas musicales hasta el Blues de Nina Simone.

Lucas Harari - L'aimant (Sarbacane) ; L'attrazione (Coconino Press)
Rencontre à la Libreria Stendhal le 23 novembre 2018.

Pierre, jeune étudiant parisien en architecture, entreprend un voyage en Suisse afin de visiter les thermes de Vals. Ce magnifique bâtiment, conçu par le célèbre architecte suisse Peter Zumthor, au coeur de la montagne, le fascine et l'obsède. Cette mystérieuse attraction va se révéler de plus en plus forte à mesure que Pierre se rapproche du bâtiment...

The question whether a Golden Age tango recording is in the public domain in the United States seems to depend on a particular historical question to which I don't know the answer (but I would love to, so please help if you can!): how much time did it pass between first distribution of the recording in Argentina and the first distribution (or at least the first offering for distribution) of the recording in the United States? If for a recording the answer is "30 days or less" then it is very likely that the recording is in the public domain in the US.

Let me explain for those interested in the intricacies of copyright (while stressing that none of what is said below should be construed as legal advice). Until the advent of the current US law, the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright in the US was regulated by The Copyright Act of 1909. According to the 1909 Act copyright lasted for 28 years after publication unless it was renewed in its last year for a second copyright term. To quote from Circular 15a of the United States Copyright Office:

Under the 1909 act, federal copyright was secured on the date a work was published or, for unpublished works, on the date of registration. A copyright lasted for a first term of 28 years from the date it was secured. The copyright was eligible for renewal during the final, that is, 28th year, of the first term. If renewed, the copyright was extended for a second, or renewal, term of 28 years. If it was not renewed, the copyright expired at the end of the first 28-year term, and the work is no longer protected by copyright.

If copyright on the work was not renewed in its last year then the work entered to the public domain. The 1976 Copyright Act substantially (and retroactively) increased the length of the 28 year renewal term however it did not change the copyright status of those works that already entered to the public domain due to the lack of request for renewal.

A request for renewal was supposed to have been submitted to the Copyright Office and all submitted renewal requests were recorded in the Catalog of Copyright Entries. Thanks to the hard work of government transparency activists all of these Catalogs have been scanned, text-recognized, and uploaded to the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords . If there is no record for the renewal request among the Catalog entries 28 years after the first publication of a work, copyright expired on it in the end of the 28 year period and the work entered to public domain.

I've checked around a dozen better known Golden Age Argentine tango recordings in the Catalog and it appears that renewal requests have not been submitted for them at the appropriate time; on this basis I believe the same is probably the case with the overwhelming majority of Argentine tango recordings. Take for example the vals Pobre flor by the orchestra of Alfredo de Angelis. It was recorded and published in 1946 by Odeon Records. Suppose its publication date was two months after its recording date, on the 09/01/1946; then copyright on it in the US lasted until 09/01/1974 unless a renewal request was submitted sometime between 09/01/1973 and 09/01/1974. I have checked the Catalog of Copyright Entries for 1973, 1974, 1975 and found no renewal requests for the song (or for any other works of Alfredo de Angelis for that matter). Sans the renewal request Pobre flor entered to public domain in the US 28 years after its publication and stayed there at least until January 1, 1996.

Why January 1, 1996? Well, because with that effective date the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 retroactively restored copyright to certain foreign works whose US copyright protection had been lost because of noncompliance with formalities of US law, in particular noncompliance with failure to renew. Foreign works that met certain criteria automatically got treated as if their copyright holders had submitted a renewal request, and since the renewal terms got extended to ridiculously long periods (typically the full term became the last author's death plus 70 years), eligible Golden Age tango recordings are still most likely within their extended copyright term.

Is this the end of story? Not quite. The Uruguay Round Agreements Act only applied to works that met four criteria (see Circular 38b of the United States Copyright Office). The first three of these are almost certainly met by Golden Age Argentine tangos, however the last criteria is curious:

4. If published, the work must have been first published in an eligible country and not published in the United States during the 30-day period following its first publication in the eligible country.

Now the US copyright law defines "publication" as:

the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of people for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication.

In other words, if in our example Odeon Records published Pobre flor in Argentina in 09/01/1946, but did only so much as to offer it to a US entity for the purpose of distribution between 09/01/1946 and 09/30/1946, then Pobre flor does not meet the criteria set out by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, and hence it is still in the public domain in the US!

To me it sounds quite plausible that at least an offer for sale in the US was made within a short amount of time given the already global nature of music distribution (i.e. the originally German Odeon Records became part, through multiple acquisitions and merger, of the London based EMI in 1931 which had a well established distribution network in the US). I do not know the answer for sure, however, and I have no access to historical documents describing the publication practices of recording companies at the time to verify it beyond doubt. 30 days does seem to be a short period of time, so we would really need some expert looking into this issue. Apart from expert knowledge about publishing practices other forms of evidence would also be interesting, i.e. does someone know of periodicals of the time that mentioned new tango releases (and offered them for sale) that are known to have been distributed in the US? (I.e. "Caras y Caretas" or similar publications could be consulted - but were they available in the US in a timely manner? (Thanks Bernhardt for the suggestion.))

If Pobre flor were in the public domain in the US, one would be free to use one's own shellac-to-mp3 transfer of it under a Youtube video without needing to worry about copyright claims made by The Orchard Music or anyone else, Youtube being a US incorporated company. (This would be so despite the song potentially being protected by copyright in countries other than the US, for instance in Argentina; Youtube might then be compelled to impose viewing restrictions on the video in Argentina, but not in the US. I'm emphasizing "own transfer" because the transfer from shellac itself can create a copyright for the person who makes the transfer depending on how much added value is created in the course of the transfer, resulting in this aspect of the newly created mp3 file falling under copyright protection.)

Long story short: I'm looking for historians' input here who are familiar with the marketing and distribution practices of Odeon, RCA etc. and could comment on the issue of time passing between distribution in Argentina and (offerings of) distribution in the US. If you know someone (who might know someone) who could know these things and could back it up with credible historical evidence, please put us in touch!

If I find additional relevant information on the topic not mentioned in the comments below, I will update the post accordingly.

Episode 52 covers the years 1976-2016. We start the episode with one of Astor Piazzolla's most recognizable tango nuevo piece, "Libertango"; as "demonstrated" in the movie Tango Lesson, it is "danceable", at least in circumstances where a follower is courted by three leaders. To cover the many great tango nuevo, alternative tango, and electronic tango formations of the past four decades would take way more than an hour; instead, our last episode follows the spirit of the series and cherry-picks from danceable tangos of more traditional style, but perhaps lesser known formations.

I hope you enjoyed our journey to explore 90 years of Argentine tango music. We started at 1927 when non-acoustic recording methods started to become widespread and finished with last year. “Danceable Tangos of the Year” featured more than 900 tangos, valses, and milongas that you could and should be able to listen and dance to in milongas all around the world (some statistics: balazstango.blogspot.hu/2016/10/which-are-top-3-argentine-tango.html .) If you would like to listen to these and many more danceable tangos, you could start at Argentine Tango Radio at www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com, and then head to purchase the music on your own at tangotunes.com, tango-dj.at, or at the usual big online music stores.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all enthusiasts around the world who put significant amount of their own time to help disseminate tango culture. My work as a DJ and radio host was indirectly helped to a great extent, for instance, by the teams behind todotango.com and el-recodo.com, by Bernhard Gehberger of tango-dj.at, by Tobias Conradi of tango.info, by Christoph Lanner of the Canaro discography, by Gabriel Valiente, author of Encyclopedia of Tango, and by Vicente Luis Scorzari and many many others. Thank you!

I’d also like to apologize for my bad Spanish pronounciation which surely entertained, or upset some friends on the other side of the globe. Please forgive me the hubris of entering to your territory without a proper command of your language; my only excuse is that mine was a work of love.

Two of the most influential figures in the development of Argentine tango music, as it headed into its Golden Age, were Julio De Caro and Juan D’Arienzo. We started our episode series with the former, and it seems to me most appropriate to end it with the latter. Juan D’Arienzo’s 1951 "La Cumparsita" brings the closure. Abrazos to all!

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 51 covers the years 1966-1975. We start with "Mi dolor" shouted by Osvaldo Ramos with the orchestra of Juan D'Arienzo, followed upon by Osvaldo Pugliese, Aníbal Troilo, Juan D'Arienzo (instrumentals, and with Osvaldo Ramos), Florindo Sassone, Alfredo De Angelis (with Carlos Aguirre), and valses from Alfredo De Angelis and from Héctor Varela with Jorge Falcon and Fernando Soler.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 50 covers the years 1960-1965. "Qué falta que me hacés", recorded by Miguel Caló with Alberto Podestá is our first tango, which is followed by valses from Francisco Canaro, Juan D'Arienzo (with Osvaldo Ramos) and Alfredo De Angelis (with Juan Carlos Godoy) and further tangos from Aníbal Troilo, Juan D'Arienzo with Jorge Valdez and with Osvaldo Ramos, Osvaldo Pugliese with Jorge Maciel, Alfredo De Angelis with Alberto Cuello, and Victor Braña with Carlos Dante.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 49 covers the years 1957-1959. The episode starts with "Merceditas" of the orchestra of Osmar Maderna with singers Adolfo Rivas and Carlos Aldao. We continue with Alfredo De Angelis (first with instrumentals, later with singers Juan Carlos Godoy and Oscar Larroca), Carlos Di Sarli, Fulvio Salamanca with Armando Guerrico, Osvaldo Pugliese with Jorge Maciel, Juan D'Arienzo with Jorge Valdez, and Aníbal Troilo.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 48 covers the years 1955-1956. "Fueron tres años" in the interpretation of Argentino Ledesma with the orchestra of Héctor Varela gets us started. Osvaldo Pugliese with Jorge Maciel, Juan D'Arienzo with Libertad Lamarque, Héctor Varela with Rodolfo Lesica, Carlos Di Sarli, Alfredo De Angelis with Carlos Dante and with Oscar Larroca, Francini-Pontier, and Ángel D'Agostino is featured in the remainder.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 47 covers the years 1953-1954. "El amanecer" from the orchestra of Carlos Di Sarli opens the episode, followed by tangos of Rodolfo Biagi with Hugo Duval, Juan D'Arienzo, Donato Racciatti with Nina Miranda, Osvaldo Pugliese with Alberto Morán, further instrumentals from Carlos Di Sarli and Osvaldo Pugliese, Miguel Caló with Alberto Podestá, Alfredo De Angelis with Oscar Larroca, and Francisco Canaro with Alberto Arenas.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 46 covers the years 1951-1952. The 1952 version of Osvaldo Pugliese's "La Yumba" starts the episode (I shall add there is some uncertainty regarding whether this version is a new recording or "is the result of laboratory manipulations" of the original 1946 version, as Nicolas Lefcovich claims). We continue with tangos from Domingo Federico, Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe and with Roberto Lemos, Rodolfo Biagi, Osvaldo Pugliese with Alberto Morán, Donato Racciatti with Nina Miranda, as well as with a vals of Francisco Rotundo with Enrique Campos and Floreal Ruiz and a milonga of Juan D'Arienzo.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 45 covers the years 1949-1950. A beatiful interpretation of "Duelo criollo" by the orchestra of Héctor María Artola with singer Alberto Marino is followed by tangos of Alfredo De Angelis with Carlos Dante and with Julio Martel, instrumentals from Rodolfo Biagi and Domingo Federico, Osvaldo Pugliese with Jorge Vidal, further tangos from Aníbal Troilo, Juan D'Arienzo, and Oswaldo Bercas, as well as two Alfredo De Angelis valses.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 44 covers the years 1947-1948. "Patético", in the interpretation of Osvaldo Pugliese, kicks off this episode, which mostly focuses on valses of Alfredo De Angelis with Carlos Dante and Julio Martel, of Aníbal Troilo with Floreal Ruiz and Edmundo Rivero, and of Alberto Castillo. Selected tangos include those of Rodolfo Biagi, Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe, Alfredo Gobbi, Alfredo De Angelis, Osvaldo Pugliese with Alberto Morán, and Ricardo Tanturi with Osvaldo Ribó.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 43 covers the year 1943. The episode starts with "Pobre flor" (alternative title: Primera ilusión) from Alfredo De Angelis with the singers Carlos Dante and Julio Martel. We continue with tangos from Carlos Di Sarli, Enrique Rodrigues with Armando Moreno, Rodolfo Biagi with Alberto Amor, Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe, Osmar Maderna, Miguel Caló with Raúl Iriarte and Roberto Arrieta, Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel and with Alberto Morán, Aníbal Troilo with Alberto Marino, Alfredo De Angelis with Julio Martel and with Carlos Dante, a D'Arienzo milonga, and an Alberto Castillo vals. The episode concludes with the first recording of Astor Piazzolla's own orchestra, "El recodo", as an example of one of his early, danceable recordings.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 42 is Part 2/2 covering the year 1945. We start with Osvaldo Pugliese's interpretation of "Pelele" and continue with tangos from Carlos Di Sarli (with Jorge Durán), Alfredo De Angelis with Carlos Dante and Julio Martel, Francisco Lomuto with Alberto Rivera, Domingo Federico with Carlos Vidal, Lucio Demare with Horacio Quintana, Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel, Aníbal Troilo with Floreal Ruíz, a vals from De Angelis and a milonga from Rodolfo Biagi with Alberto Amor. The episode finishes with the first recording of the orchestra of Francisco Fiorentino, "Corrientes y Esmeralda" - the orchestra leader being the young Astor Piazzolla.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 41 is Part 1/2 covering the year 1945. "Flor de tango" from the orchestra of Osvaldo Pugliese starts the episode, which then continues with tangos from Carlos Di Sarli with Jorge Durán, Rodolfo Biagi with Alberto Amor and with Jorge Ortiz, Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe, Osvaldo Pugliese, Enrique Rodriguez with Armando Moreno, Miguel Caló with Raúl Iriarte, as well as valses from Biagi and Alberto Castillo (with Emilio Balcarce at the helm of Castillo's orchestra).

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 40 is Part 3/3 covering the year 1944. "Cristal", sung by Alberto Marino with the orchestra of Aníbal Troilo gets us started. We continue with valses from Pedro Laurenz with Carlos Bermúdez and Jorge Linares and Lucio Demare with Horacio Quintana, tangos from Osvaldo Pugliese with Roberto Chanel, Juan D'Arienzo with Alberto Echagüe, Enrique Rodriguez with Armando Moreno, Ricardo Tanturi with Erique Campos. We finish our selection for the year 1944 with an instrumental tango from Aníbal Troilo.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .

Episode 39 is Part 2/3 covering the year 1944. The episode starts with a composition of Carlos Di Sarli, "Tú... el cielo y tú!" in the interpretation of his own orchestra with the singer Alberto Podestá, one of my Di Sarli favorites. We continue with tangos from Rodolfo Biagi with Alberto Amor and Carlos Acuña, Miguel Caló with Raúl Berón and Raúl Iriarte, Juan D'Arienzo with Héctor Maure and Armando Laborde, Francisco Canaro with Carlos Roldán, as well as valses from Alfredo De Angelis with Floreal Ruiz, Carlos Dante, and Julio Martel, Aníbal Troilo with Alberto Marino and Floreal Ruiz, and a milonga from Pedro Laurenz.

For more information on "Danceable Tangos of the Year" visit: www.ArgentineTangoRadio.com/dtoty .