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A BRIEF HISTORY OF TANGO
MUSIC Introduction The essential relationship in tango is between a man, a woman and the
music. One of the best ways to become a good tango dancer is to be familiar
with the music that is played at milongas. The greater your familiarity, the
more you will intuitively dance inside the music and begin to develop a sense
of what figures are most in synch with particular sounds. To
achieve this understanding of tango music, it is helpful to have a general
understanding of the main movements from its obscure beginnings at the turn
of the last century up to the present time. This period may be roughly
divided into 5 periods, the Old Guard (up to the 1930's), the Golden Age ( late 1930's - 1950's) , Tango
Nuevo (post 1960's) Modern Tango (last few decades) and, from the
late 1990's on, NeoTango. It helps to remember that the careers of
most of the legendary names in tango spanned many decades and this is
reflected in their evolving musical styles. The Old Guard - up to the 1930's The very earliest recordings show a fairly stiff, fixed-tempo attitude.
This was the era of the old guard, 'la guardia vieja', typified by 'orquestas
tipicas' of around 6 instruments such as the Orquesta Tipica Victor, and those of Roberto Firpo, the innovative
Julio de Caro, Edgardo Donato and the early Canaro. The music was still
largely instrumental. The Golden Age - late 1930's to
the 1950's This period was one of astonishing creativity on every front. The dance
matured into one of the most beautiful couple dances the world has ever seen,
a subtle, heady blend of sex and chess. Orchestras increased in size to 20
instruments or more and singers, such as the legendary Carlos Gardel, took on
a more central role. Composers, arrangers, lyricists and singers all hit new
heights. There were more great orchestras than one could count. Among the
most famous were those led by
Francisco Canaro, Juan D'Arienzo,
Carlos Di Sarli, Miguel Caló, Ricardo Tanturi, Alfredo De Angelis, Anibal
Troilo and Osvaldo Pugliese. They produced masterpieces which still have the
power to enchant us today. Golden Age Rhythmic – D'Arienzo, Caló, Di Sarli, Tanturi, Laurenz, D'Agostino, Troilo Golden Age Smooth – Di Sarli, Canaro, Caló, De Angelis, Fresedo, Troilo Golden Age Dramatic – De Angelis, Pugliese Tango Nuevo - post 1960's Building on the work of Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese and Horacio
Salgan, Astor Piazzolla led a revolution in concert-oriented tango music,
without vocals. He called it 'tango nuevo', or 'new tango' fusing traditional tango music with jazz
and classical elements. The music was dramatically heightened by such devices
as long pauses and abrupt tempo
changes. This music works well for tango dance performances, but can be outside
the comfort zone for social dancing. However, Piazzola opened the way which
most contemporary tango orchestras have since followed. (A brief note about the term “tango nuevo”. Although it was used initially by Piazzola to define a new kind
of tango music, it usually now refers to a new, experimental style of tango dancing which has become popular with a younger
generation of dancers since the mid-1990's. While this more open, elastic
style can be danced to the music of traditional and modern tango orchestras,
it is more often danced to Neo-Tango music.) Modern tango - past few decades This is the period of modern tango orchestras whose recordings were
made after the Piazzola revolution but which still retain many of the
qualities of the Golden Age sound. Prominent among them are Orquesta Color
Tango, Orquesta Tipica Imperial, Orquesta Tipica Sans Souci, Los Reyes del
Tango and Gente de Tango. Neo Tango - from the late 1990's One of the most exciting developements in recent times is the emergence
of a new genre of experimental tango music. Young dancers especially are
dancing tango to non-Argentine music, and at the same time, contemporary
tango musicians are collaborating with electronic musicians to create a
hybrid sound. This is a broad grouping which includes the most recent tango fusion
experiments by artists such as the Gotan Project, BajoFondo Tango Club, and
Carlos Libedinsky as well as all songs not classically Argentine tango that
dancers choose to play at their milongas. The adventurous tango dancers of
today are claiming music from genres across the board: blues, rock, disco,
Portuguese fado, Turkish and Russian tangos among others. In them they find a
powerful echo of the danceable rhythms, the sophistication and the emotional
depth of Golden Age Tango. Greatest Hits - Traditional The following is a list of the hit titles associated with the most
legendary tango orchestras. Together they form a body of tango music which
will be found at the heart of any good milonga. Francisco Canaro La Melodia de Nuestros Adios Charamusca Felicia Madreselva Pampa Retintin El Rey del Bosque Silueta Portena (Milonga) Milonga Sentimental (Milonga) Negrito (Milonga) Reliquias Porteños (Milonga) Corazon de Oro (Vals) Vibraciones de Alma (Vals) Yo No Se Que Me Han Hecho Con Tus Ojes (Vals) Rosas de Otoño (Vals) Juan D'Arienzo 9 de Julio Don Juan El Cencerro Papas Calientes Pensalo Bien Loca Rawson El Apronte Milonga de mis Amores
(Milonga) Milonga, vieja Milonga
(Milonga) Derecho Viejo (Milonga) Milonga del Corazon (Milonga) La Cumparsita Valcecitos de Antes (Vals) Amor y Celos (Vals) Miguel Caló Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes Al compas del corazón Que Te Importa Que Te Llore Saludos Elegante Papirusa La Maleva Sans souci Yo soy el tango Tierra querida El vals soñador Percal Que Falta Que Me Haces Carlos di Sarli Bahía Blanca A la gran Muñeca El Choclo Marejada Comme If Faut Milonguero Viejo Añorandote Bar Exposición Champagne Tango Organito de la Tarde Verdemar Cascabelito Belen El Recodo La Cachila Mi Refugio T.B.C. Carlos Gardel (Singer) Volver Por Una Cabeza Mi Buenos Aires Querido Nelly Omar (Singer) Desde El Alma Ricardo Tanturi Una Emoción Así Se Baila El Tango
(Milonga) Mozo Guapo (Milonga) Pocas Palabras Tu Olvido (Vals) Angel D'Agostino (With Angel Vargas – Singer) Hotel Victoria Tres Esquinas Asi me gusta a mi (Milonga) Rondando tu esquina Palais de Glace Anibal Troilo Quejas de Bandoneón Malena Ojos Negrs El Barrio del Tambour
(Milonga) Tinta Verde Alfredo de Angelis La Mariposa Mi Dolor Zorro Gris Soñar y Nada Mas (Vals) Mi cariñito (Vals) Pobre Flor (Vals) Pedro Laurenz Mascarita (Vals) La Vida Es Un Milonga
(Milonga) Milonga Compadre (Milonga) No Me Estraña Osvaldo Pugliese Gallo ciego Chiqué La Mariposa A Evaristo Corriego La Yumba Zum Pata Ancha Negracha Chique Chacabuqueando Recuerdo Mala Junta Nochero Soy Desde El Alma (Vals) Palomita Bianca (Vals) Greatest Hits - Tango Nuevo Piazzola Oblivion Adios Nonino Yo Soy Maria Libertango Cité Tango Milonga del Angel Greatest Hits – Modern Color Tango – Amorando Como Flor de Yuyo Tu Pallida Voz (Vals) Los Reyes de Tango – Loca La Morocha Sans Souci – Inspiración Saludos Sexteto Mayor – Al Galope Taconeando Leopoldo Federico – Siete Palabras Greatest Hits – Neo Tango Bajofondo Tango Club – En Mi/Soledad Montserrat Tanghetto – Alexanderplatz Enjoy the Silence Immigrante Blue Monday Otros Aires – Sín Rumbo La Pampa
Seca Percanta Carlos Liebedinsky – Vi Luz y Subí Piano
Secuencia Otra
Luna Un
Paso Nás Allá Gotan Project - Vuelvo al Sur Sin Rumba Lunatico Santa Maria de Buen Ayre Arrabal Juan Carlos Caceres – Tango Negro Tocá
Tangó Gotan Project & Sarah Vaughan – Whatever Lola Wants The Tango Project – Por Una Cabeza from soundtrack of “Scent of a Woman” Idealtango – Villurca Gustavo Santaolalla – De Ushuaia a la Quiaca Cuarteto Almagro – Pantera Tanguera Kevin Johannson – Tangomama Greatest Hits – Neo Tango (Non-Tango Songs) Haris Alexiou – Gia Ena Tango Tis Nefelis Meccano – Luna Norah Jones– Don't Know Why Apocalyptica – Nothing Else Matters Cirque du Soleil - Querer Yann Tiersen – Le Moulin (Vals) from soundtrack of “Amélie” Paolo Conte – Via Con Me Mariza – Montras (Fado) Dido – Who Makes You Feel Charles Trenet – La Mer Pyotr Leschenko – Ujdi Joe Rixner – Blauer Himmel Anniki Tahti – Unikuva Sourcing The Music The easiest way to buy tango music is online, whether complete CD's or
individual titles in MP3 format. It is a good idea to listen to the tracks
before buying to make sure that you like them. Everyone's taste is
individual. Don't forget to compare the recording/remastering quality between
different offerings. For CD's, Amazon is a good source. Zivals (http://www.tangostore.com/home.php), the famous store in Buenos
Aires, ships overseas. Buy in bulk to make the shipping costs worthwhile. The UK-based Michael Lavocah - http://www.milonga.co.uk/ - has excellent
catalogues, advice and recommendations. The Hamburg-based - Danza y Movimiento (DyM) - http://www.danzaymovimiento.com/ - is another very good
European source of tango CD's. English language option available. There is a wealth of information about all things tango on the web.
Surf, discover and enjoy. Take note of any music you like on YouTube tango
clips. Some useful compilation CD's Tango. The Originals Vol.1 (DyM) Beginner's Guide to Tango (Nascente) 3CD set The Tango Lesson – soundtrack of the film Milonga Vieja Milonga (DyM) – selection of milonga music Valsecitos de Antes (DyM) – selection of vals music Music For Getting Started For the Beginner, it is best to start listening and moving to the
tangos of Francisco Canaro, (La Melodia de Nuestro Adios CD), Miguel Caló,
(Yo Soy el Tango CD) and Carlos di Sarli, (Solo Tango: Instrumental Vol 1).
The tangos on the first two CDs are among the very best for learning the
walking rhythm of tango because they have a clear and simple beat. After
progressing to Di Sarli and learning to dance to his music, it will then be
time to move on to the King of Rhythm, Juan D'Arienzo, (El Esquinazo
1937-1938 CD and Instrumental Vol. 1 CD). After these musicians come the subtleties of Troilo and Tanturi and,
later, the challenges of De Angelis, Biagi and Pugliese. By then the
journey of exploration into the fascinating world of tango music will be well
underway. |
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Copyright Bernadette O'Huiginn 2010 |