uenos Aires, my last flame, even though I’m faraway I don’t stop loving you.

Like good perfume «what it’s good comes in a small bottle», this is the case of Inés Pena or Inesita, like people used to call her because of her size and because they loved her. She was a unique female tango singer. She had all the capacities to be successful; she was young, charming, daring and a mischievous artist as she herself would say in an interview: «Mischievousness is an element that accompanies me and has made succeed». Besides this statement which was like her letter of introduction, she said: «I sing intuitively. I regard this art I practice, not as a thing of my own —because I’m Argentine with Spanish ancestors— but I love it for its spirituality. Tango, the vals criollo are charming melodies, profoundly spiritual...» She was also known as: El alma que canta, El alma de la melodía Argentina, La insuperable estilista del tango, La genial Inesita Pena.

In Barcelona, in 1929 at the Teatro Goya, as dancer she shared the bill with Agesilao Ferrazzano, the wizard of the violin and Teresita Asprella, the great Argentine artist. She was introduced as «Inesita Pena, beautiful dancer» (classical and Spanish dances). In 1933, at the Teatro Victoria, she was already then appearing as tango singer along with the guitarists Rafael Iriarte and Víctor Quijada. She was advertised as the renowned Argentine interpreter «Inés Peña», the soul of Argentine melody. With the passing of time Inesita would go switching between the surnames Pena y Peña.

In the Mundo Deportivo journal of April 20, 1935, in the Suplemento Teatral section there is a photo dedicated by Inesita under the heading Estilista argentina: «I sincerely dedicate this photo to the readers of Mundo Deportivo» and below in the epigraph we can read «Today the child-like figure of the fantastic female singer of Argentine tangos and other Argentine songs honors our columns. Inesita has succeeded in finding and capturing the refined criollo style, providing new and varied nuances to it, which make her unique in her genre. This gentle artist has successfully appeared in the best theaters of both continents consecrating her name as indisputable Argentine artist».

Inesita was accompanied by the Orquesta Palermo whose members were Spanish musicians specialized in Argentine tangos. The contact in Madrid for contracting was Daniel Garrido, member of the orchestra and composer of the piece “Mi madre patria”. In a photo published in the Revista Crónica in 1930 we can see that the orchestra was comprised of two bandoneons, two violins, a piano and a cello. The El Heraldo journal of Madrid on September 17, 1935, in its evening edition, informs us of her inclusion as singer in the Orquesta Palermo: «Inesita Pena with the Palermos: The remarkable tango orchesta Palermo has introduced a change in its appearances: The inclusion of the Argentine artist Inesita Pena to the noteworthy cast. She is a beautiful, very modern singer that interprets tangos in a very personal way. That is favorably commented by the large audiences that daily applaud them at the elegant venue where they appear».

Her songbook included tangos, chacareras, songs of Buenos Aires, vidalitas and estilos. They made tours of Spain and the north of Africa. She also recorded for the Odeon label the numbers “Haceme caso a mí”, “Mi caballo murió”, “Hola señorita” and “Y tenía un lunar” with the Argentine female singer Celia Gámez.

With the Orquesta Palermo she appeared at movie theaters in variety shows before or after the movies were shown. In the ABC journal of December 10, 1937 we found an ad of the movie Kid Millions with Eddie Cantor, variety shows with Luisita Espinosa and Inesita Pena and the Orquesta Palermo.

The tangos and the folk-like songs by Inesita have her imprint. She is an adaptable singer who adjusts herself either to dramatic or humorous tango. Her phrasing, typically from Buenos Aires, is evidenced in the way she includes in her singing words that are completely ours, different phrases, idioms and gestures which define her as such, which are not far-fetched and are brought naturally. In style and personality she resembles Amanda Ledesma. Her voice color is very pleasant. She manages in dramatic tangos like “Melodía porteña” or “Vendrás alguna vez”, for example, to achieve a new rendering that is quite personal and valuable.

In her interviews she makes use of vos (as a second person singular pronoun) something that people liked very much. She was able to generate a kind of devotion for the numbers she sang among Spaniards. They discovered in Inesita a woman that sings what she feels which is heartfelt, that her numbers are involved with social affairs and that she is always concerned in bringing joy to her audience at critical times by emphasizing in her songs her personal features: vitality and liveliness.

Audiences supported her at a time when tango was being displaced by Spanish music. Along with Celia Deza, Gaby Ubilla, Imperio Argentina and Celia Gámez, she kept alive «the holy fire of tango» either in theaters or on the radio.

In the 1940s she left her mark in Spanish music with a hit: the Rodolfo Sciammarella’s waltz “Salud dinero y amor” or “Tres cosas hay en la vida”. It was also known in Spain as “Tres cosas”. This song launched her as interpreter. In many compilations of Spanish music of the 40s her name is mentioned.

Another tango that has her seal is “Camillero”, with words and music by Daniel Antón, a dramatic tango about the Spanish Civil War. This sheet music is still available throughout Spain and was published by the Casa Erviti Editorial de Música. This tango was recorded by Inesita along with the Orquesta Típica Martín de la Rosa in Barcelona for the Odeon company (black label).

She sang the tangos: “Paria” with words by Vicente Grau and music by José María Férriz, and committed it to disc for the Regal label, “Vendrás alguna vez”, “Melodía porteña”, “No te quiero más”, “Por un amor”, the title tune of the movie by Tomás de León, Julio Santanera and Mauricio Torres (some of these numbers were recorded for the Odeon label by the Orquesta Típica led by Martín de la Rosa). And pieces with a humorous touch: “Tengo mil novios” (waltz), “Martes trece” (polka), “No se enamore” (ranchera), “Yo quiero ser estrella” (march), “La gallina papanatas” (popular Mexican corrido), which thereafter we knew as “La gallina turuleca”.

As lyricist and composer she released : “Rito amargo”, a tango piece with great strength in which she talks about her mother as a «companion of long fatigue», of her value in life, of the importance of not staying in pain, of living with happiness but not forgetting what has passed, a reflection of what Inesita was.

The zamba “Mi madre patria” co-written with A. Moro and Daniel Garrido, a piece in which she poses a quandary about Buenos Aires, the land of the gaucho, that she so much loves and longs for and Spain, the land of the bullfighters, that sheltered her, where she lives, sings and is happy. And the tango “Mi último querer” with J. Manresa (José Domínguez Andía's pseudonym), a number with much feeling and nostalgia about what one feels for Buenos Aires, which defines her as a legitimate porteña.

Inesita was starred in the movie Por un amor directed by Ricardo Gutiérrez Camisón that was shot in 1941, with music by Modesto Romero Martínez. A comedy which was premiered on July 26, 1943. The cast included Pedro Valdivieso, Álvaro Vélez Calderón, Víctor de Velasco, María Victoria Durá, Luis Orduña, Conchita Sanabria and the Orquesta Palermo. It is about the story of a young orphan girl that succeeds as singer. The video cinema guide highlights as a rarity that this movie was premiered years later at a movie theater in a neighborhood. It is a film that was not well regarded by the critics. It was a movie that took advantage of Inesita’s figure, at that time, the greatest star in tango. In the movie program you were able to read: «Por un amor, musical comedy by the popular tango artist Inesita Pena and the Orquesta Palermo».

Inesita was a true artist, she loved her art and had no pretensions. She was able to sing at a first level theater in Europe or in a movie theater in a neighborhood in Spain with the same passion, commitment and professionalism. In the world of the variety shows she shared the stage with Carmen Amaya, La Yankee, Ramper, Carmen Flores, Pastora Imperio, Alady, Encarnita Iglesias, Luisita Espinosa, Sylvia de Bettini and La Argentinita. She appeared in different theaters like the Victoria, Variedades, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Metropolitano, Principal Palace and Teatro Madrid, in 1944, as vocalist of the orchestra led by Eduardo Bianco.

In Paris she was showcased at the Théâtre Empire as a vedette. She toured the central area of Europe with the Orquesta Bianco-Bachicha. On photos, which are not many, we can see her in gaucho costume with baggy pants, boots and spurs or with a Spanish dress full of flaps, which tells us about a permanent duality. It is touching to see her with a gaucho costume, her criollo soul and the guitar on her lap like many others of our female tango singers.

On radio, in 1936, she appeared on Unión Radio with De Madrid a Buenos Aires along with the Orquesta Palermo. In the program schedule of Radio Barcelona on December 26, 1945 she appears with her number: “Salud dinero y amor” among the discs chosen by the radio listeners. In 1949, on Radio Miramar of Badalona, she gave a recital of songs on May 5 and she appeared alongside the Quinteto Tropical on September 29.

The tangos sung by Inesita left a track on the Spanish Peninsula so much so that still in some articles about tango in Spain they generally remember the tango figure and the tangos interpreted by Inesita Pena and Carlitos Gardel.

Pena singing the lines of “Mi último querer” («Aunque estoy lejos no dejo de quererte en mi canto tan triste te evoco eternamente…. y el recuerdo que queda de mi ayer, Buenos Aires, yo te canto mi último querer. Buenos Aires mío, mi única ilusión igual que a mi viejita te venero yo...») strengthens her porteña and tango siblinghood with Gardel in “Mi Buenos Aires querido” («Mi Buenos Aires querido cuando yo te vuelva a ver no habrá más pena ni olvido… Hoy que la suerte quiere que te vuelva a ver, ciudad porteña de mi único querer y oigo la queja, de un bandoneón, dentro del pecho pide rienda el corazón... Quiero que sepas que al evocarte, se van las penas del corazón...») in a hymn to that beloved Buenos Aires, so heartfelt as nostalgic.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: To Josep Pons who lent me a lot of recordings, Carlos Picchio, Gonzalo Torres Posada, José Luis Morata, Javier Barreiro, Gustavo Olaiz, the periodicals library of the Diario Mundo Deportivo, the Hemeroteca de la Biblioteca Nacional de España and the Biblioteca Digital de Castilla y León.