Clavel del aire: A Tango of Love and Loss

Clavel del aire is a beautiful and sad tango. It was composed by Juan de Dios Filiberto and Fernán Silva Valdés in 1930. The tango was dedicated to Filiberto’s wife, María Luisa. She had black eyes. The tango was inspired by the rural life and the folk music of Argentina and Uruguay. The tango tells the story of a lonely gaucho who falls in love with a woman. She leaves him for another man. In this article, we will explore the history and the meaning of Clavel del aire. We will also compare the gaucho culture with the cowboy culture.

The History of Clavel del aire

Clavel del aire was composed in 1930. It was the end of the golden age of tango and the beginning of the great depression. Tango was born in the late 19th century in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. It was a fusion of the music and the dance of the immigrants, the gauchos, and the Afro-Argentines and Afro-Uruguayans. Tango was popular and fashionable, both in the cities and in the countryside, and also abroad, especially in Paris.

Tango was also a reflection of the social and cultural changes in Argentina and Uruguay. Tango expressed the feelings and the experiences of the people. Tango also incorporated elements of the folk music and the rural life of the region.

Clavel del aire is an example of a tango that was influenced by the folk music and the rural life. The title refers to the name of a plant that grows on the trees. The plant symbolizes the woman who is beautiful and delicate, but also fragile and doomed. The tango also uses words and expressions that are typical of the rural dialect.

The Meaning of Clavel del aire

Clavel del aire tells the story of a lonely gaucho who falls in love with a woman. She leaves him for another man. The story is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the characters and the setting. The second part describes the love affair and the happiness of the couple. The third part narrates the departure and the sadness of the gaucho.

The first part says:

Como el clavel del aire, así era ella, igual que la flor prendida en mi corazón. ¡Oh, cuánto lloré porque me dejó! Como el clavel del aire, así era ella, igual que la flor.

Like the clavel del aire, so was she, like the flower stuck in my heart. Oh, how much I cried because she left me! Like the clavel del aire, so was she, like the flower.

The gaucho compares the woman to the clavel del aire, a flower that grows on the trees. He expresses his sorrow and his pain because she left him.

The second part says:

En esta región, igual que un ombú solito y sin flor, así era yo; y presa del dolor los años viví, igual que un ombú en esta región.

In this region, like an ombu alone and without flower, so was I; and prisoner of pain I lived the years, like an ombu in this region.

The gaucho describes his loneliness and his suffering before he met the woman. He compares himself to an ombu, a large and solitary tree. He says that he lived the years like an ombu, without flower and without love.

The third part says:

Y mi ramazón secándose iba, cuando ella una tarde mi sombra buscó. Un ave cantó en mi ramazón, y el árbol sin flores tuvo su flor.

But my branches were drying up, when she one afternoon looked for my shadow. A bird sang in my branches, and the tree without flowers had its flower.

The gaucho tells how the woman came to his life and brought him joy and hope. She looked for his shadow, meaning that she sought his protection and his company. A bird sang in his branches, meaning that he felt happiness and music in his soul. The tree without flowers had its flower, meaning that he found his love and his beauty.

Mas un feliz viajero —viajero maldito— el pago cruzó; en brazos de él se me fue y yo me quedé de nuevo sin flor. El que cruzó fue el viento, el viento pampero que se la llevó.

But a happy traveler —cursed traveler— crossed the town; in his arms she left me and I stayed again without flower. The one who crossed was the wind, the pampero wind that took her away.

The gaucho narrates how the woman left him for another man, a traveler who crossed the town. He curses the traveler and the wind, the pampero wind, a strong and cold wind. He says that the wind took her away, meaning that she disappeared from his life. He says that he stayed again without flower, meaning that he lost his love and his beauty.

Clavel del aire: A Tango of Love and Loss. Roberto Pugliese blog

The Comparison between Gaucho and Cowboy

A gaucho is a cowboy of the South American pampas. A cowboy is a cattle herder who works on ranches in North America. Both gauchos and cowboys are skilled horsemen, who perform various tasks related to cattle and horses. Both gauchos and cowboys have a distinctive attire, that includes hats, boots, belts, and ponchos or jackets. Both gauchos and cowboys have a rich and diverse culture, that includes music, dance, literature, folklore, and cuisine.

However, there are also some differences between gauchos and cowboys. Gauchos are more influenced by the Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous cultures, while cowboys are more influenced by the English, Irish, and African-American cultures. Gauchos are more associated with the pampas, the flat and fertile grasslands, while cowboys are more associated with the prairies, the rolling and dry plains. Gauchos are more known for their independence, their rebelliousness, and their loyalty, while cowboys are more known for their adventurousness, their courage, and their honor. Gauchos are more famous for their tango, their mate, and their asado, while cowboys are more famous for their country, their coffee, and their barbecue.

Clavel del aire is a tango that reflects the gaucho culture and the gaucho spirit. It is a song of love and loss, of loneliness and pain, of beauty and sorrow. It is a song that celebrates the gaucho’s connection with nature, with the clavel del aire, the ombu, and the pampero wind. It is a song that expresses the gaucho’s feelings, with his heart, his tears, and his voice. It is a song that represents the gaucho’s identity, with his region, his dialect, and his music.

Clavel del aire Classical guitar Score Download

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