Wikipedia

Tango music

For other uses, seeTango (disambiguation).

Tangois a style of music in2
4or4
4time that originated among European and African immigrant populations ofArgentinaandUruguay(collectively, the "Rioplatenses").[2]It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, known as theorquesta típica,which includes at least twoviolins,flute,piano,double bass,and at least twobandoneóns.Sometimes guitars and a clarinet join the ensemble. Tango may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist. Tango music anddancehave become popular throughout the world.

Tango
Thebandoneon,an accordion-like instrument closely associated with tango
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsArgentina,Uruguay
Subgenres
Fusion genres
Tango-rock
Regional scenes
Other topics
Typical tangorhythm[1]

Origins

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Early bandoneón, constructed ca. 1905

Even though present forms of tango developed in Argentina and Uruguay from the mid-19th century, there are records of 19th and early 20th-century tango styles inCubaand Spain,[3]while there is a flamencotangodance that may share a common ancestor in a minuet-style European dance.[4]All sources stress the influence of African communities and their rhythms, while the instruments and techniques brought in by European immigrants in the 20th century played a major role in the style's final definition, relating it to thesalon musicstyles to which tango would contribute back at a later stage.

Ángel Villoldo's 1903 tango "El Choclo"was first recorded no later than 1906 in Philadelphia.[5]Villoldo himself recorded it in Paris (possibly in April 1908, with the Orchestre Tzigane du Restaurant du Rat Mort),[6]as there were no recording studios in Argentina at the time.

Early tango was played by European immigrants inBuenos AiresandMontevideo.[7][8][9]The first generation of tango players from Buenos Aires was called "Guardia Vieja" (the Old Guard). It took time to move into wider circles; in the early 20th century, it was the favorite music of thugs andgangsterswho visitedbrothels,[10]in a city with 100,000 more men than women (in 1914). The complex dances that arose from such rich music reflect how the men would practice the dance in groups, demonstrating male sexuality and causing a blending of emotion and aggressiveness. The music was played on portable instruments:flute,guitar,andviolintrios, withbandoneónarriving at the end of the 19th century. Theorganito,a portable player-organ, broadened the popularity of certain songs.Eduardo Arolaswas the major driver of the bandoneón's popularization, withVicente Grecosoon standardizing the tango sextet as consisting ofpiano,double bass,twoviolins,and two bandoneóns.

Like many forms of popular music, tango was associated with the underclass, and attempts were made to restrict its influence[by whom?].In spite of the scorn, some, like writerRicardo Güiraldes,were fans. Güiraldes played a part in the international popularization of tango, which had conquered the world by the end of World War I; he wrote the poem "Tango", which describes the music as the "all-absorbing love of a tyrant, jealously guarding his dominion, over women who have surrendered submissively, like obedient beasts".[4]

One song that would become the most widely known of all tango melodies[11]also dates from this time. The first two sections of "La Cumparsita"were composed as an instrumental march in 1916 by teenagedGerardo Matos Rodríguezof Uruguay.[12][13]

Argentine roots of tango

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Gabino Ezeiza(1858–1916), pioneer of Argentine tango

Besides the global influences mentioned above, early tango was locally influenced byPayada,theMilongafrom Argentine and Uruguaypampas,and Uruguayancandombe.In Argentina there was Milonga "from the country" since the mid eighteenth century. The first "payador" remembered isSantos Vega.The origins of Milonga seem to be in the pampa with strong African influences, especially though the local candombe (which would be related to its contemporary candombe in Buenos Aires and Montevideo). It is believed that this candombe existed and was practised in Argentina since the first slaves were brought into the country.[14]

Although the word "tango" to describe a music/dance style had been printed as early as 1823 inHavana,Cuba, the first Argentine written reference is from an 1866 newspaper that quotes the song "La Coqueta" (anArgentine tango).[15]In 1876, a tango-candombe called "El Merenguengué"[16][17]became very popular, after its success in the Afro-Argentines' carnival held in February of that year. It is played with harp, violin, and flute, in addition to the Afro-Argentine candombe drums ( "Llamador" and "Repicador" ). This has been seriously considered one of the strong points of departure for the birth and development of tango.[18]

The first tango "group" was composed of twoAfro-Argentines:"the black"Casimiro Alcorta(violin) and "the mulatto" Sinforoso (clarinet).[19]They played small concerts in Buenos Aires from the early 1870s until the early 1890s. Alcorta is the author of "Entrada Prohibida" (Prohibited Entry),[20]sung by the brothers Teisseire. He is also credited with the tango "Concha sucia", which was later adapted and sung by F. Canaro as "Cara sucia" (Dirty Face).[21]

Before the 1900s, the following tangos were being played: "El queco" (anonymous, attributed to clarinetist Lino Galeano in 1885);[22]"Señora casera" (anonymous, 1880); "Andate a la recoleta" (anonymous, 1880);[22]"El Porteñito" (by the Spaniard Gabriel Diez in 1880);[22]"Tango Nº1" (Jose Machado, 1883); "Dame la lata" (Juan Perez, 1888);[22]"Que polvo con tanto viento" (anonymous, 1890);[22]"No me tires con la tapa de la olla" (A.A. 1893); and "El Talar" (Prudencio Aragon, 1895).[23]One of the first women to write tango scores wasEloísa D'Herbil.She wrote such pieces as "Y a mí qué" (What Do I Care), "Che no calotiés!" (Hey, No Stealing!), and others, between 1872 and 1885.[24][25]

The first recorded musical score is "La Canguela" (1889). The first copyrighted tango score is "El entrerriano", released in 1896 and printed in 1898 byRosendo Mendizabal,an Afro-Argentine. As for the transition between the old "Tango criollo" (Milonga from the pampas, evolved with touches of Afro-Argentine candombe, and someHabanera), and the tango of the Old Guard, there are the following songs:

Moreover, the first tango recorded by an orchestra was "Don Juan", whose author is Ernesto Ponzio. It was recorded by the orchestra of Vicente Greco.[26][27]

1920s and 1930s, Carlos Gardel

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Tango soon gained popularity in Europe, beginning in France. SuperstarCarlos Gardelsoon became asex symbolwho brought tango to new audiences, especially in the United States, due to his sensual depictions of the dance in film. In the 1920s, tango moved out of the lower-class brothels and became a more respectable form of music and dance. Bandleaders likeRoberto FirpoandFrancisco Canarodropped the flute and added adouble bassin its place. Lyrics were still typically macho, blaming women for countless heartaches, and the dance moves were still sexual and aggressive.[citation needed]

Carlos Gardelbecame especially associated with the transition from a lower-class "gangster" music to a respectable middle-class dance. He helped developtango-canciónin the 1920s and became one of the most popular tango artists of all time. He was also one of the precursors of the "Golden Age of Tango".

Gardel's death was followed by a division into movements within tango. Evolutionists likeAníbal TroiloandCarlos di Sarliwere opposed to traditionalists likeRodolfo BiagiandJuan d'Arienzo.

Golden Age

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The "Golden Age" of tango music and dance is generally agreed to have been the period from about 1935 to 1952,[citation needed]roughly contemporaneous with thebig bandera in the United States. Tango was performed byorquestas típicas,bands often including over a dozen performers.

Some of the many popular and influential orchestras included those ofMariano Mores,Juan d'Arienzo,Francisco Canaro,andAníbal Troilo.D'Arienzo was called the "Rey del compás" or "King of the beat", for the insistent, driving rhythm which can be heard on many of his recordings. "El flete" is an excellent example of D'Arienzo's approach. Canaro's early milongas are generally the slowest and easiest to dance to; and for that reason, they are the most frequently played at tango dances (milongas); "Milonga Sentimental" is a classic example.

Beginning in the Golden Age and continuing afterwards, the orchestras ofOsvaldo PuglieseandCarlos di Sarlimade many recordings. Di Sarli had a lush, grandiose sound, and emphasized strings and piano over the bandoneón, which is heard in "A la gran muñeca" and "Bahía Blanca"(the name of his home town).

Pugliese's first recordings were not too different from those of other dance orchestras, but he developed a complex, rich, and sometimes discordant sound, which is heard in his signature pieces "Gallo ciego", "Emancipación", and "La yumba". Pugliese's later music was played for an audience and not intended for dancing, although it is often used for stage choreography for its dramatic potential, and sometimes played late at night at milongas.[citation needed]

Eventually, tango transcended its Latin boundaries as European bands adopted it into their dance repertoires.[citation needed]Non-traditional instruments were often added, such as the accordion (in place of the bandoneon), saxophone, clarinet, ukulele, mandolin, electric organ, etc., as well as lyrics in non-Spanish languages. European tango became a mainstream worldwide dance and popular music style, alongside foxtrot, slow waltz, and rumba. It somewhat diverged from its Argentinian origin and developed characteristic European styles. Famous European band leaders who adopted tango included, to name a few,Otto Dobrindt[de],Marek Weber,Oskar Joost,Barnabas von Geczy[de],Jose Lucchesi,Kurt Widmann[de],Adalbert Lutter[de],Paul Godwin,Alexander Tsfasman,as well as famous singersLeo Monosson,Zarah Leander,Rudi Schuricke,Tino Rossi,Janus Poplawski[pl],Mieczysław Fogg,Pyotr Leshchenko,and others. The popularity of European tango precipitously declined with the advent of rock-n-roll in the 1950s–60s.[28][29][30][31][32]

Tango nuevo

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The later age of tango has been dominated byÁstor Piazzolla,whose "Adiós nonino"became the most influential work of tango music since Carlos Gardel's"El día que me quieras"was released in 1935. During the 1950s, Piazzolla consciously tried to create a more academic form with new sounds breaking the classic forms of tango, drawing the derision of purists and old-time performers. The 1970s saw Buenos Aires developing a fusion ofjazzand tango.Litto Nebbiaand Siglo XX were especially popular within this movement. In the 1970s and 1980s, the vocal octetBuenos Aires 8recorded classic tangos in elaborate arrangements, with complex harmonies and jazz influence, and also recorded an album with compositions by Piazzolla.

The so-called post-Piazzolla generation (1980–) includes musicians such asDino Saluzzi,Rodolfo Mederos,Gustavo Beytelmann, and Juan Jose Mosalini. Piazzolla and his followers developednuevo tango,a musical genre that incorporated jazz and classical influences into a more experimental style.

In the late 1990s, composer and pianistFernando Otero[33]continued to add elements to the innovation process which had started decades ago, expanding the orchestration and form while including improvisation and atonal aspects in his work.

1990s–2000s tango

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In the second half of the 1990s, a new movement of tango composers and tango orchestras playing new songs was born in Buenos Aires. It was mainly influenced by the old orchestra style rather than by Piazzolla’s renewal and experiments with electronic music.

Over the first two decades of the 21st century, the movement has grown with the creation of countless bands playing new tangos. The most prominent figures leading this phenomenon have been the Orquesta Típica Fernandez Fierro, whose creator, Julian Peralta,[34][35][36][37]would later start Astillero and the Orquesta Típica Julián Peralta. Other bands have also become part of the movement, such as Orquesta Rascacielos, Altertango, Ciudad Baigón, as well as singer-songwriters Alfredo "Tape" Rubín,[34][38]Victoria di Raimondo,[39]Juan Serén,[34][40]Natalí de Vicenzo,[36]andPacha González.[36][37][40]

Neotango

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Tango development did not stop withtango nuevo.21st-century tango is referred to asneotango.These recent trends can be described as "electro tango" or "tango fusion", where the electronic influences range from subtle to dominant.

TanghettoandCarlos Libedinskyare good examples of the subtle use of electronic elements. The music still has its tango feeling, the complex rhythmic and melodious entanglement that makes tango so unique.Gotan Projectis a group that formed in 1999 in Paris, consisting of musicians Philippe Cohen Solal,Eduardo Makaroff,and Christoph H. Muller. Their releases includeVuelvo al Sur/El capitalismo foráneo(2000),La Revancha del Tango(2001),Inspiración Espiración(2004), andLunático(2006). Their sound features electronic elements like samples, beats, and sounds on top of a tango groove. Some dancers enjoy dancing to this music, although many traditional dancers regard it as a definite break in style and tradition.

Bajofondo Tango Clubis another example of electro-tango. Further examples can be found on theCDsTango?,Hybrid Tango,Tangophobia Vol. 1,Tango Crash(with a majorjazzinfluence),Latin Tangoby Rodrigo Favela (featuring classic and modern elements),NuTango,Tango Fusion Club Vol. 1by the creator of the milonga called "Tango Fusion Club" inMunich,Felinoby the Norwegian groupElectrocutango,andElectronic Tango,a compilation CD. In 2004, the music label World Music Network released a collection under the titleThe Rough Guide to Tango Nuevo.

Musical impact and classical interpreters

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Although tango music was strictly circumscribed to the tango interpreters, it was the classically trained Argentinian pianist Arminda Canteros (1911–2002) who used to play tangos to satisfy the requests of her father, who could not understandclassical music.She developed her own style and had a weekly program of tango music for a radio station inRosario,Argentina in the 1930s and 1940s. Since tango playing was considered the epitome ofmachismo,she had to take the masculine pseudonym "Juancho" for the broadcasts.[41][42]

Canteros settled in New York City in 1970, where in 1989, she recorded the albumTangos,at the age of 78.[43] Following Cantero’s example, another Argentinian female pianist brought tango music to the concert halls:Cecilia Pilladoplayed a complete tango recital at theBerliner Philharmoniein 1997 and recorded that program for her CDCexilia’s Tangos.[44]

Since then, tango has become part of the repertoire for great classical musicians like the baritoneJorge Chaminéwith hisTangos,recorded with bandoneónistOlivier Manoury.Additionally,al Tango,Yo-Yo Ma,Martha Argerich,Daniel Barenboim,Gidon Kremer,Plácido Domingo,andMarcelo Álvarezhave performed and recorded tangos.

Some classical composers have written tangos, such asIsaac AlbénizinEspaña(1890),Erik SatieinLe Tango perpétuel(1914), andIgor StravinskyinHistoire du Soldat(1918). Nikolai Myaskovsky composed an Argentinian death tango for the poem "War and Peace".Kurt Weillcontinued this style inThe Threepenny Opera(1928) (Die Dreigroschenoper), with "Tango Ballade", or "Zuhälterballade", a fateful song about underworld life (a symphonic version commissioned byOtto Klemperer); a bit later, he composed "Youkali" (Tango-Habanera), with French lyrics. Also noteworthy was the accordionistJohn Serry Sr.,who composed "Tango of Love" and "Petite Tango" for accordion quartet (1955).[45]The list of composers who wrote inspired by tango music also includesJohn Cagein "Perpetual Tango" (1984),John Harbisonin "Tango Seen from Ground Level" (1991), andMilton Babbittin "It Takes Twelve to Tango" (1984). The influence ofPiazzollahas fallen on a number of contemporary composers. The "Tango Mortale" inArcadianabyThomas Adèsis an example.

Many popular songs in the United States have borrowed melodies from tango: the earliest published tango, "El Choclo", lent its melody to the fifties hit "Kiss of Fire".Similarly," Adiós Muchachos "became"I Get Ideas",and" Strange Sensation "was based on"La Cumparsita".

Showing tango music's continued popularity, multiple international radio stations broadcast nonstop tango music today.[46]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toTango (music).

References

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  1. ^Blatter, Alfred (2007).Revisiting Music Theory: A Guide to the Practice(New York: Routledge), p. 28.ISBN978-0-415-97439-4(cloth);ISBN978-0-415-97440-0(pbk).
  2. ^Termine, Laura (30 September 2009)."Argentina, Uruguay bury hatchet to snatch tango honor".Buenos Aires. Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2014.Retrieved2 April2010.
  3. ^José Luis Ortiz NuevoEl origen del tango americanoMadrid and La Habana 1849
  4. ^abChristine Denniston.Couple Dancing and the Beginning of Tango2003
  5. ^"Victor matrix B-3624. El choclo / Victor Argentine Orchestra".Discography of American Historical Recordings.Univ. of Calif.Retrieved19 November2017.
  6. ^Tangocommuter (28 July 2014)."Ángel Villoldo, Paris and early tango".Retrieved19 November2017.
  7. ^Norese, María Rosalía:Contextualization and analysis of tango. Its origins to the emergence of the avant-garde.University of Salamanca, 2002 (restricted online copy,p. 5, atGoogle Books)
  8. ^"Investigando el Tango – Tésis Doctoral – Dra. Marta Rosalía Norese".Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2016.Retrieved2 August2016.
  9. ^"Todotango.com – Todo sobre el tango argentino".Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2013.Retrieved2 August2016.
  10. ^Tango and whores(in Spanish)
  11. ^McLean, Michael (May 2008).Care to Tango?, Book 2.Alfred Music.ISBN978-0-7390-5100-9.
  12. ^ToTANGO.LA CUMPARSITA – Tango's Most Famous SongArchived30 December 2005 at theWayback Machine
  13. ^TodoTango. Ricardo García Blaya.Tangos and Legends: La CumparsitaArchived10 March 2008 at theWayback Machine
  14. ^"Revista Quilombo – Noticias, columnas, articulos y opiniones"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 March 2012.Retrieved2 August2016.
  15. ^"Notas - Historia del Tango - El nacimiento del Tango - hlm!.Tango - Hágase la música - hagaselamusica.com".Retrieved2 August2016.
  16. ^Tango-candombe afroargentino "El Merenguengué".Archived21 March 2012 at theWayback Machine[verification needed]
  17. ^Jorge Gutmanop. cit.[full citation needed]
  18. ^Museum House of Carlos Gardel “The Black history of Tango”.Archived6 July 2011 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^www.RrinconDelTango.com.""Historia del tango-Los primitivos conjuntos" por Tesy Cariaga – Buenos Aires – Argentina.-.: Rincón del Tango: ".Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2006.Retrieved2 August2016.
  20. ^El negro Casimiro Alcorta, y su tango "Entrada Prohibida".Archived6 July 2011 at theWayback Machine
  21. ^El negro Casimiro Alcorta, y su tango "Concha Sucia".
  22. ^abcdeScholz, Cora (2008).Tango argentino—seine Ursprünge und soziokulturelle Entwicklung(in German). GRIN Verlag. p. 19.ISBN978-3-640-11862-5.
  23. ^"Lugares de baile".Retrieved2 August2016.
  24. ^Horvath, Ricardo (2006).Esos malditos tangos: apuntes para la otra historia(in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Biblos. p. 61.ISBN978-950-786-549-7.
  25. ^Ostuni, Ricardo (22 November 2011)."La baronesa del tango"[The baroness of tango] (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: InfoNews. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2017.Retrieved14 July2017.
  26. ^"Todotango.com – Todo sobre el tango argentino".Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2013.Retrieved2 August2016.
  27. ^"Todotango.com – Todo sobre el tango argentino".Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2014.Retrieved2 August2016.
  28. ^Jürgen WölferJazz in Deutschland – Das Lexikon. Alle Musiker und Plattenfirmen von 1920 bis heute. Hannibal Verlag: Höfen 2008,ISBN978-3-85445-274-4
  29. ^Michael H. Kater: Gewagtes Spiel. Jazz im Nationalsozialismus. Cologne 1995,ISBN3-423-30666-1.
  30. ^Schnoor, Hans: Barnabás von Géczy. Aufstieg einer Kunst. Dresden: Verlag der Dr. Güntzschen Stiftung o.J.(um 1937) mit Diskografie B.v.G. auf Electrola-Schallplatten.
  31. ^Драгилёв, Д. Лабиринты русского танго. — СПб.: Алетейя, 2008. — 168 с —ISBN978-5-91419-021-4
  32. ^Bruce Bastin, notes to "German Tango Bands 1925–1939", Harlequin CD HQCD-127
  33. ^Michael Hill."About Fernando Otero".Nonesuch Records.Retrieved13 May2013.
  34. ^abc"Julián Peralta: La selección de los tangos nuevos".Retrieved9 October2016.
  35. ^Cas, Andrés."Levantar al tango de su siesta".Clarin.com.Retrieved9 October2016.
  36. ^abc"Tangos de estreno: clásicos de las orquestas del futuro".Retrieved9 October2016.
  37. ^abtiempoar.com.ar.""Pensamos al tango como una música popular" – tiempoar.com.ar ".tiempoar.com.ar.Retrieved9 October2016.
  38. ^Peters, Lucas."Tango, te cambiaron la pinta".Clarin.com.Retrieved9 October2016.
  39. ^"Di Raimondo: Cantar en una orquesta típica es un sueño".Diario Uno.Retrieved9 October2016.
  40. ^ab"Canción porteña en el festival de tango".Retrieved9 October2016.
  41. ^JohnDavidChapman (8 August 2011)."Arminda Canteros, pianist, plays Invierno Porteño by Astor Piazzolla".Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.Retrieved2 August2016– via YouTube.
  42. ^"El Tango y sus invitados: Arminda Canteros".Retrieved2 August2016.
  43. ^"El Tango y sus invitados: Arminda Canteros – Tangos(Solos de piano)-1989".Retrieved2 August2016.
  44. ^"Tango Malambo – Cecilia Pillado´s Label".Archived fromthe originalon 17 August 2016.Retrieved2 August2016.
  45. ^Library of Congress- Copyright Office,Tango of Love,Petite Tango.Copyright – Alpha Music Co., New York, NY. Composer: John Serry Sr. 1955
  46. ^Argentine Tango Radio

Further reading

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