Synopsis

The qualities which gave Gardel his great success are naturally somewhat difficult to recapture in their fullness. First and foremost, of course, the zorzal, as his endearing nickname implies, was a superb popular singer. We can still hear the voice, preserved on admittedly imperfect recordings. And it is a fine, rich, resonant voice, making up in expressiveness what it lacks in power. 'That man,' said an American film director hearing Gardel for the first time, 'that man has a tear in his throat.' Gardel's sensitivity to the essence of the songs he sang was unusually acute. The 900 or so recorded songs which form the much-loved Gardel canon display an extraordinary range of feeling lyricism, melancholy, chirpiness, sarcasm, high spirits, wistfulness, nostalgia, and even occasional ferocity. Gardel had a natural sense of rhythm which proved particularly appropriate for tango singing. He worked very hard at his music, and also at creating the kind of 'image' he felt to be the necessary accompaniment to stardom. His grooming was impeccable. The smoothly plastered hair, the elegant three-piece suits, the carefully chosen ties, the perfectly polished shoes he looked every inch the successful star, every inch the smart porteno who had come out on top. His lifelong tendency to corpulence was zealously combated by strenuous exercise in Buenos Aires he frequented the YMCA gymnasium combined with massage and Turkish baths. These punishing routines kept him in excellent physical condition.