Gerard Metallo – Curro Cuchares – Free Sheet Music

I have uploaded a piece by Gerardo Metallo to the Petrucci Library and to musicaneo. The title is Curro Cuchares. The piano version was already available at IMSLP, I have made a scan of the mandolin quartet version arrangend by F. Kollmaneck.

Biography of Gerardo Metallo

Gerardo Metallo – Real name: Metallo, Gerardo; Pianist, leader and composer (14 February 1871 – 14 July 1946)

Metallo was a composer, conductor and pianist.

He was born in Calabritto, in the south of Italy, but his spent his life in Uruguay, precisely in the city of Montevideo, where he arrived in 1882 when he was only 11 years old.

His compositions were popular at the beginning of the 20th century. I have found some historical recordings of his works.

Video – Curro Cuchares – Historical Recording by Bernard Taylor

guitar & mandolin – 8th – May 1949 on 78 rpm acetate (the uploader of this video switched the names – this is Curro Cuchares, Estudiantina is on the other side of this recording). Bernard Taylor plays exactly the 1st mandolin part of the arrangement by Kollmaneck, so the player might have used just this arrangement.

Playlist Curro Cuchares

I have found recordings including a piano roll and street organ performances. There are several recordings with accordion (Sharpshooters March).

Playlist Gerardo Metallo


Additional Information

Curro Cuchares is also known as Sharpshooters March for accordion in the USA. Guido Deiro, a famous accordion player of the early 20th century who is the author of Sharpshooters March tells the story about his version on Guido Deiro’s Own Story of Sharpshooters March

One morning, in the Fall of 1907, I was playing in Metz, Germany. I heard a very catchy march melody that was being played on a hand organ. I was so impressed by the tune that I made the hand organist play it over several times. He didn’t know the name of it; all he could tell me was that it was an Italian march.

At that time, I was taking lessons from the famous accordionist, Giovanni Galiardi. He took it down the best he could. 

Upon the final publication of the composition, Sharpshooters, there was applied the secondary title of Curro Cuchares by G. Metallo. When I saw the publication I enquired why the second title had been entered and why composer’s rights were given to Metallo. I was informed that there was a march similar to Sharpshooters under the name of Curro Cuchares for violin and guitar.

Sheet music at musicaneo: Curro Cuchares

Sheet music in the Petrucci Library: Gerardo Metallo

Sheet music for band (Band Music PDF Library): Curro Cuchares

Historical recordings (archive.org) – Tres Arboles / Vivi para Amarte / Curro Cuchares / La Morocha / Lejos del bien amado

On the biography page biography of Gerardo Metallo you can click to the titles of the songs in the article on the left hand side to get the sheet music of those songs!

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