Property:TuneDescription
From TANGOWIKI-TITAF
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[https://www.staremelodie.pl/piosenka/1894/Piosenka_o_Poznaniu More Info] +
[https://www.staremelodie.pl/piosenka/2315/Piosnki_Cygana More Info] +
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[[File:TITAF-T-0013417-partitura-recordando-serenatas.jpg Sheet music]] +
[[File:TITAF-T-0013432-shellac-fresedo-reinamaleva.jpg]]<br /><small>Clearly says [[TITAF-P-1002412|Chela Cordero]], who was a famous Argentine actress.</small> +
Originally, it was a ''vals'' with lyrics by '''Martínez Payva''' and music by '''Graciano De Leone''',
recorded by [[TITAF-P-7231388|Dorita Davis]] on the BAVE label (No. 60.978-1).
Later, the lyrics were preserved, but the title was changed to '''''Alma en pena''''' and the music was replaced by a new composition by [[TITAF-P-8299828|Abel Fleury]].
It was transformed into a ''canción criolla'' and later recorded by [[TITAF-P-2382547|Edmundo Rivero]] and [[TITAF-P-6385540|Nelly Omar]].
A radio take by [[TITAF-P-5199348|Néstor Feria]] from the mid-1930s has also been preserved. +
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[https://www.discogs.com/release/5694417-Artango-Tango-Contemporain More Info] +
[https://www.discogs.com/release/5694417-Artango-Tango-Contemporain More Info] +
It is attributed to [[TITAF-P-4630604|Gabino Ezeiza]], one of the most prominent payadores of the Río de la Plata. The piece is revered across both margins of the River Plate and holds a special place in the cultural memory of Paysandú, Uruguay. It pays tribute to the heroic defenses of the city in 1811, 1846, and 1864–1865, and is considered one of Ezeiza’s most inspired compositions.
== Lyrics ==
The text of ''Saludo a Paysandú'' was first published in the 1953 Antología Gaucha and includes the famous opening verse:
<blockquote> ''Heroico Paysandú, yo te saludo, hermano de la patria en que nací...'' </blockquote>
The lyrics extol the bravery of the city and its people, likening Paysandú to a South American Troy and honoring its role in the shared history of Uruguay and Argentina.
== Origin and Contested Accounts ==
The exact origins of the piece are disputed. Multiple conflicting versions exist regarding the place, context, and date of its first performance.
=== Version 1: Farewell at the Train Station ===
According to folklorist [[Cédar Viglietti]] (1947), [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]] improvised the piece spontaneously at the train station of Paysandú while bidding farewell to local admirers. The setting was emotional, and the performance occurred as he leaned out the train window while holding his guitar.
=== Version 2: A Dedication at a Theater in Argentina ===
Another version suggests the piece was dedicated to a group of Uruguayans in an Argentine theater during one of [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]]’s performances. In this telling, the song was an impromptu tribute.
=== Version 3: Sung from a Ship ===
[[Julio César Puppo]] ("El Hachero") reported in 1965 that [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]], initially met with hostility in Paysandú due to his political affiliations, performed the milonga from aboard a ship anchored in the port. His verses moved the crowd, transforming rejection into ovation.
=== Version 4: Improvised in the "Petit París" ===
Historian [[Augusto Isidoro Schulkin]] argued in 1958 that the piece originated in the "Petit París" venue on Calle 8 de Octubre. In this account, [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]], frustrated by an unresponsive audience during a low-quality performance, delivered the ''Saludo a Paysandú'' as a dramatic finale that eventually echoed from the Plata to the Andes.
=== Version 5: At Teatro Artigas in 1888 ===
Professor [[Alberto Rusconi]] dated the performance to September 1888 at Teatro Artigas during a contrapunto (duel of verses) between the Uruguayan payador [[Arturo de Nava]] and [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]].
However, [[Isidro Cristiá]] refuted this, noting that [[Arturo de Nava]] was only 12 years old in 1888 and the theater was reopened only in 1920. He proposed that [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]] may have performed instead at the Teatro Politeama and possibly duelled with [[Juan de Nava]], Arturo’s father.
=== Version 6: Performance in 1891 or 1895 ===
[[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]] is also said to have performed in April 1891 at the Teatro Politeama in a show with [[José Podestá]] (a.k.a. [[Pepino el 88]]) and [[Scotti]], but no documentation links that performance to the famous song.
Researcher [[Carlos Estefanell]] provides further insight, referencing a 1895 theater program for the Teatro Progreso (now Teatro Florencio Sánchez), which includes a "Saludo" segment in [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]]’s performance. [[Carlos Estefanell]] suggests this may well have been the moment ''Saludo a Paysandú'' was born.
== Cultural Significance ==
The piece became a symbol of Argentine-Uruguayan kinship and is one of the most iconic works in the tradition of payada criolla. Though its exact genesis remains uncertain, ''Saludo a Paysandú'' endures as an emotional and patriotic hymn, evoking shared resistance, heroism, and cultural pride.
== Legacy ==
The song has been cited by numerous scholars and historians, including:
[[Carlos Estefanell]], who published extensively on the subject.
[[Julio César Puppo]] (El Hachero), who recounted [[TITAF-P-4630604|Ezeiza]]’s political tensions and public reception.
[[Augusto Isidoro Schulkin]], in his Diccionario Biográfico de Paysandú.
[[Isidro Cristiá]] and [[Alberto Rusconi]], both of whom offered competing accounts of the performance history.
Though no definitive version of its first performance has been universally accepted, ''Saludo a Paysandú'' remains a cornerstone in the history of popular poetry and musical improvisation of the Río de la Plata.
== See Also ==
[[TITAF-P-4630604|Gabino Ezeiza]]
[[TITAF-P-4864727|Rubén Darío]]
[[TITAF-P-3786322|Florencio Sánchez]]
[[Arturo de Nava]]
[[Juan de Nava]]
[[Payada]]
== References ==
[[Carlos Estefanell]] – Homenaje a Gabino Ezeiza, El Telégrafo, Paysandú, 8 September 1978.
[[Julio César Puppo]] (El Hachero) – Marcha, Montevideo, 21 May 1965.
[[Isidro Cristiá]] – "¿Arturo de Nava se enfrentó a Gabino Ezeiza en 1888?", El Día, Montevideo, 23 February 1978.
[[Augusto Isidoro Schulkin]] – Historia de Paysandú – Diccionario Biográfico, vol. 1, 1958.
[[Cédar Viglietti]] – Folklore en el Uruguay, 1947.
[[Alberto Rusconi]] – cited by [[Carlos Estefanell]].
<small>[https://letras-uruguay.espaciolatino.com/barrios_pintos/heroico_paysandu_yo_te_saludo.htm Original text]</small>
[https://www.discogs.com/release/7322644-Orquesta-T%C3%ADpica-Fern%C3%A1ndez-Fierro-Destrucci%C3%B3n-Masiva More Info] +
From [[Kiss me Kate]] +
[https://www.discogs.com/release/20750317-Various-Tango-Chill-Sessions More Info] +
See also [[the Polish version|TITAF-T-0008941]] +
French version by [[TITAF-P-3300116|Max François]], Spanish version by [[TITAF-P-8837787|Oscar Rubens]] +
[https://www.discogs.com/release/7472669-Various-Echoes-From-Afar-Old-World-Tangos-Vol-1 More Info] +
[https://www.discogs.com/release/9790569-Luis-Rizzo-Luis-Rizzo-Trio-Tango-Passion More Info] +
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[https://www.discogs.com/release/11941825-Enrique-Campos-Por-Eso-Canto-Yo More Info] +