Item 1142 - Derecho viejo

Eduardo Arolas was an Argentine tango bandoneon player, leader and composer. He first learned to play the guitar before learning the bandoneon which became his instrument of choice. His nickname was El Tigre del bandoneón (the tiger of the bandoneon).
Arolas composed his first tango in 1909 before he could even read or write music. He went on to play with such early masters as Agustín Bardi and Roberto Firpo.
In 1917 Arolas moved to Montevideo where he settled and played a number of times at the Teatro Casino. From 1920 he resided mainly in Paris where he died alone and alcoholic in 1924.

Argentine Andrés Baldesari was the first musician to write lyrics for the famous instrumental tango “Derecho Viejo,” composed by Eduardo Arolas in 1916. Arolas had dedicated the piece to some law students (thus “derecho” meaning law in Spanish). Baldesari’s lyrics were first recorded by Argentine singer Téofilo Ibáñez with the Orquesta Típica in 1934. Since then there have been other lyrics written for Arolas’ tango, and many recordings of Baldesari’s lyrics by other singers.