Rafael Giovinazzi
Real name Rafael Giovanazzo
Life 24 October 1905 – 20 August 1983
Occupation
-
• pianist
• composer
Instrument
-
• piano
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Country of birth Argentina
Citizenship
-
• Argentina
TodoTango: Link
Rafael Giovinazzi (Buenos Aires, 24 October 1905 – 20 August 1983) was an Argentine tango pianist and composer.
Biography
Giovinazzi was born in the neighborhood of Once, Buenos Aires. Over the course of a nearly 30-year career, he played in what may have been a hundred different tango ensembles. When interviewed by Orlando del Greco for TodoTango, he stated that he could no longer recall the full list of orchestras he had performed with, nor all the venues in which he had played.
He considered the peak of his musical life to be his time in the orquesta típica of the Servidio brothers, performing at the legendary Café El Nacional on Calle Corrientes. That ensemble included José Servidio, Luis Servidio, and Alfredo Servidio, as well as J. Rodríguez on bandoneons; the brothers Guisado and Di Salvo on violins; Luis Bernstein on double bass; and Giovinazzi himself at the piano.
Giovinazzi composed his first tango, Despechos, in 1922, which was premiered by the Servidio orchestra at Café El Nacional.
Compositions
Some of his best-received compositions include:
Alta clase – tango with lyrics by Eduardo Escaris Méndez
Mascotita de marfil – vals, composed in collaboration with Juan Pedro Castillo and Alfredo Faustino Roldán
Coquetita – tango, co-written with Juan Bautista Guido and lyrics by Enrique Iacobelli
Notably, Carlos Gardel recorded both Mascotita de marfil and Coquetita, although Giovinazzi never had a personal friendship with Gardel and did not request the recordings. Asked why Gardel chose his songs, Giovinazzi simply replied: «Ignoro en absoluto por qué, yo no se lo pedí» (“I absolutely have no idea why, I never asked him to”).
Later Life
After leaving the music scene, Giovinazzi dedicated himself to commercial pursuits and retired from the piano altogether.
Death
He died in Buenos Aires on 20 August 1983.
Source
This biography is based on the work of Orlando del Greco for TodoTango.
Orchestras
No known group memberships.
Recordings
No recordings found.
Opus
| Title | Genre | Alt. title | Comp. Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta clase | Tango | ||
| Desahuciado | Tango | ||
| Despechos | Tango | ||
| Mascotita de marfil | Vals | ||
| Por dios se lo pido | Tango |