The work of Carlos Bahr as author

is production as author was very abundant. Only by mentioning that in SADAIC (Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores) he has filed more than six hundred titles! There is no doubt that a work so huge had to be marked by a lot of ups and downs and that his author, pressed sometimes by the urgency with which he was requested to write lyrics, on many occasions incurred on certain shoddiness which intended more commercial effect and impact (“La sonrisa de mamá”, “Sepeñoporipitapa”, “Tomá estas monedas”, “Sin balurdo”, “Ganzúa”, etc.). But above these concessions, the literary behavior he had evidenced with authentic poetic sense and city emotion prevailed in most titles which nurtured his work in the 40s.

Even though his work in tango lyrics emcompassed a period of fifteen years from 1940 to 1955, when the most essential and huge of his work appeared-, he had started in the late 30s with some titles which showed him the way to where he later would reach his final consecration. In that trend and from that style we have selected eighty numbers which were published, recorded and, above all, got popular recognition. And many of the first sixty here listed were recorded by various orchestras and soloists at the same time.

Title (Genre - Composer)
“Amarga sospecha” (Tango - Fulvio Salamanca)
“Amor y tango” (Tango - José Basso)
“Amor y vals” (Waltz - Rodolfo Biagi)
“Avergonzado” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Cada día te extraño más” (Tango - Armando Pontier)
“Canción inolvidable” (Tango - Enrique Francini)
“Carga” (Tango - Wenceslao Cinosi)
“Caricias perdidas” (Waltz - Héctor Stamponi)
“Como en un cuento” (Tango - Rodolfo Biagi)
“Corazón no le hagas caso” (Tango - Armando Pontier)
“Cuando talla un bandoneón” (Tango - Armando Pontier)
“Cuentas viejas” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Dame mi libertad” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“De vuelta” (Waltz - Carlos Lazzari)
“Desconsuelo” (Tango - Héctor Artola)
“Doble castigo” (Tango - Luis Rubistein)
“Dónde estás” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“El mismo dolor” (Waltz - Enrique Francini)
“En carne propia” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Equipaje” (Tango - Héctor Artola)
“Es hora de vivir” (Tango - Enrique Francini)
“Gracias” (Tango - Elías Randal)
“Humillación” (Tango - Rodolfo Biagi)
“Mañana iré temprano” (Tango - Enrique Francini)
“Marcas” (Tango - Héctor Artola)
“Me están sobrando las penas” (Tango - Argentino Galván and José Basso)
“Milonga compadre” (Tango - José Mastro)
“Milonga de mi flor” (Milonga - Feliciano Brunelli)
“Motivo de vals” (Waltz - Horacio Salgán)
“Motivo sentimental” (Tango - Emilio Brameri)
“Muriéndome de amor” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Nada más que un corazón” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“No me extraña” (Tango - Antonio Romano and Alberto Celenza)
“No te apures Carablanca” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Noche de locura” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Noches largas” (Tango - Astor Piazzolla)
“Pecado” (Bolero - Enrique Francini and Armando Pontier)
“Por la cuesta arriba” (Tango - Argentino Galván)
“Por una mala mujer” (Tango - Enrique Francini)
“Precio” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Prohibido” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Pudo ser una vida” (Tango - Elías Randal)
“Qué apuro tengo” (Tango - Eladio Blanco)
“Quiéreme como soy” (Tango - Elías Randal)
“Rezongando, rezongando” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Se lo conté al bandoneón” (Tango - Francisco Troppoli)
“Seis días” (Tango - Manuel Sucher)
“Sencillo y compadre” (Tango - Juan Guichandut)
“Si no me engaña el corazón” (Tango - Mauricio Mise)
“Sin comprender” (Tango - Miguel Nijensohn)
“Soledad la de Barracas” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Sosiego en la noche” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Tango y copas (Otro tango)” (Tango - Héctor Artola)
“Tanto” (Tango - Elías Randal)
“Trampa [b]” (Tango - Juan D'Arienzo and Fulvio Salamanca)
“Un tal Medina” (Tango - Roberto Garza)
“Una y mil noches” (Tango - Orestes Cúfaro and Alberto San Miguel)
“Valsecito” (Waltz - Miguel Caló/Félix Lipesker)
“Vamos corazón” (Tango - Juan José Guichandut)
“Y suma y sigue” (Tango - Juan D'Arienzo)

Other titles which were recorded:

“Monotonía” (Hugo Gutiérrez), “Fracaso” (Roberto Garza), “Maldición” (Roberto Garza), “La carta perdida” (Alfredo Zappettini), “Aquí he venido a cantar” (Fulvio Salamanca ), “Prisionero [b]” (Julio Carressone), “Una copa más” (Fidel Pintos - Manuel Flores), “Corazón que me maltratas” (Alberto Nery), “En cada puerta un adiós” (Félix Lipesker), “No estamos solos” (Hipólito Basilio), “Desde aquella noche” (Fulvio Salamanca), “La negra quiere bailar” (José Ranieri ), “Dale dale caballito” (Fulvio Salamanca), “Los días pasarán” (Juan José Paz ), “Cosas del amor [b]” (Domingo Federico), “Como a mí me gusta” (E. Milanese), “Amor mío” (Enrique Munné), “Aquí en la tierra” (Enrique Munné), “Mientras tú no llegas” (Manuel Sucher).

There are many others which were also taken to the recording studio, but we think that with the preceding details we give an almost complete vision of Carlos Bahr's work.

As a curiosity for chivilcoyanos (people from the city of Chivilcoy, Province of Buenos Aires), let us say that a pretty tango by Carlos Marcucci, named precisely “Chivilcoy” has lyrics by Carlos Bahr.

Diverse aspects of his work

Almost every Argentine popular genre was treated by Carlos Bahr. Besides the urban poetry, where he extensively worked, he produced many others and compositions with musicians and leaders who dug international music. For example, with Feliciano Brunelli —parallelly to some tangos and milongas— he worked in 12 titles, with Don Filinto (Filinto Rebecchi), in 21, and with Osvaldo Norton in 3, to only name the most known.

Bahr always talked of the satisfaction he obtained by the popularity that at its time “Baión del lará lará” had reached, it had been composed with Carlos Brunelli (Feliciano's son), who, in spite of his light content, was sung by a huge amount of public in soccer matches.

We also have to say that his bolero “Pecado” had a success that trascended our borders, achieving world repercussion, an award that very few authors of popular music can be proud of. Great interpreters of the most varied countries recorded it —Caetano Veloso, María Bethania, the Trío Los Panchos at its best stage—.

Something similar happened with “Prohibido”, which was interpreted as bolero and recorded by several Latin American singers.

He did not read music, but he was an extraordinary «orejero» (player by ear). He played the mandolin very well, he also had a way with piano and harmonica and he sang discreetly. All this helped his creative work when he had to search for that precise and precious matching which must exist between musical note and literary syllable.

With this advantageous support he composed —lyrics and music, either with his own name or using his nickname Alfa— several songs: “Chiquilina” (waltz), “Hijo de amor” and “Buen día querida” (songs), “Gracias madre” and “Ponga y dele” (milongas), “Canción de ausencia”, “Liquidación” and “Torpeza” (tangos) and several more.

Published in Tango y lunfardo, Nº 108, Chivilcoy, 16 August 1995. Director: Gaspar J. Astarita.