also known as Becho, was a Uruguayan musician, composer and journalist.
Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez was born in Montevideo, the son of the owner of the Moulin Rouge, a popular local cabaret. He studied architecture, but did not complete the course. He began composing as a young student in 1917, and his first known work was "La Cumparsita", which he wrote on the piano of the Federación de Estudiantes of Uruguay Archived April 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. It became one of the most recognizable tango pieces, though Matos was initially too shy to play the piece himself and it became well known through the performance of others.
He travelled widely throughout Europe and stayed in Paris for a time, as well as working as Uruguayan consul to Germany. In 1931, he collaborated on the film score for Luces de Buenos Aires, shot in Joinville-le-Pont, France, and starring renowned tango vocalist Carlos Gardel. .
