Heritage Day is the most popular festival in Uruguay, came when the architect Luis Livni proposed opening the doors of public buildings with parliaments, courthouse, presidential house, to Uruguayan citizens to know how they are and work inside these places, honoring in this way their material and immaterial patrimony. And for another edition of Heritage Day, on October 7 and 8, the main festival in the country will honor the 100 years of tango “La Cumparsita” tango – a living and universal heritage, premiered in 1917 in the old café “La Giralda “In Montevideo.
Tourists in the country will be able to save on cultural programming next weekend, as approximately 400 places will open their doors to the public, offering more than 1500 cultural programs with free entrance and / or discount.
The opening of the festival will take place in Montevideo, October 7, on the terrace of the Solís Theater, in the center of the Uruguayan capital. From there, viewers can enjoy Milonga’s presentation. The event has so much strength and value to our neighbors that from just one day the date has gone to a full weekend. Every year, since 1995, museums, public parks and palaces are open to the public and feature a multitude of cultural actions in the country.
“La Cumparsita” and Tango Museum
La Cumparsita is a tango whose melody was created and written in the summer of 1917 by the Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodríguez. Shortly afterwards, the melody received musical arrangements from Roberto Firpo – pianist, orchestra director and Argentine composer, who later played with his orchestra for the first time in public. It is considered the most widespread tango in the world, and the most popular lyrics belong to the Argentine Pascual Contursi, a musician based in Montevideo, a friend of Matos Rodriguez.
Considered a living and universal patrimony, La Cumparsita is Uruguay’s popular and cultural anthem, based on a law passed in 1998 by the country’s Legislative Branch. Nowadays, in place of the old café, the Tango Museum works, giving the possibility of visitors arriving in Montevideo to know and feel the place where “La Cumparsita” touched for the first time.
The Tango Museum is an impressive space, which won the almost faithful reproduction of what was the Café “La Giralda” in 1900. Inside, there is a memorable collection of the versions of La Cumparsita and also of tango. For those who are not “Tangueiros”, but curious, this space presents the history of tango and its origins in an easier way to understand.
The museum is on the ground floor of Salvo Palace in Plaza Independencia 846 – Montevideo. The visit is very enjoyable, fun and attractive for all ages. Visitors are surprised to hear the vinyls with the tango versions on the original record player of the year 1900, while the guide shows, through an interactive map, the universal reach of La Cumparsita, as well as the thematic presentation by an official hot site.