11/07/2026 22:38 - Entretenimiento
Every July 11, Argentina dresses in tango to celebrate the National Bandoneon Day, a holiday established by Law 26.035 in 2005 to honor the birth of Anibal Troilo, which occurred in 1914 in the Abasto neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The Abasto neighborhood is historically known as the heart of tango, where many immigrants settled and created this passionate musical genre.
To mark the 112 years since his birth, his grandson, Francisco Torne, revealed a surprising finding while reviewing family archives: the maestro's baptismal certificate in the chapel of the Gutierrez Hospital. There, they discovered that his full name was Anibal Carmelo Antonio Troilo.
Although Troilo had no biological descendants, he married Ida Dudui Kalacci, known as Zita, who already had three grandchildren from a previous marriage: Edith, Juan Carlos, and Francisco. Pichuco (Troilo's affectionate nickname) always treated them as his own blood. After the bandoneonist passed away on May 18, 1975, Zita became the great guardian of his memory until her own passing on July 1, 1997.
Zita inherited Troilo's three characteristic bellows (bandoneons) and, faithful to the musician's generosity, decided to hand them over so they would keep playing. One went to Astor Piazzolla (the revolutionary tango composer), another to Raul Garello, and the third to Osvaldo Piro. Today, thanks to the family's friendship with these maestros, two of those instruments returned to the National Tango Academy and the family home, where they continue to be used by great performers.
The bandoneon, the inseparable companion of tango, was not born in the Rio de la Plata (the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay). It was invented in the mid-19th century in Germany by Heinrich Band as a portable variant of the concertina, designed to accompany religious ceremonies in small churches. However, with the arrival of European immigrants in the late 19th century, it found its true destiny in the tenements (known locally as conventillos) and cafes of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, becoming the ultimate emblem of tango music.
Pichuco's work transcended borders. Besides his sculpture in Buenos Aires at the corner of Suipacha and 9 de Julio, there is another replica on the main avenue of Singapore. His family actively participates in international festivals, such as the one in Granada, Spain.
Francisco Torne hopes that one of his three daughters —Micaela, Melanie, and Magaly— will continue the custody of the legacy. Currently, they are digitizing Troilo's work so it can be studied in universities around the world.
According to Infobae and Clarin, Troilo's figure remains a fundamental pillar of Argentine culture, keeping alive that genuine and honest art that made him immortal.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
