Tango music

Tango is a style of music from Uruguay and Argentina from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It came from many cultures, including people from Spain, Italy, and France. It also includes local traditions like the Gaucho and African influences.

Tango is usually played with guitars, violins, a flute, piano, double bass, and a special instrument called a bandoneón. Sometimes, a singer adds their voice to the music. Tango is loved by people all around the world.

The music often has a special rhythm called ²₄ or ⁴₄ time. This rhythm matches well with the tango dance. The music and dance together are an important part of culture in many places.

Origins

Tango music started in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Argentina and Uruguay. It came from many cultures, like Spanish, Italian, African, and French. At first, tango was played by people from Europe and was popular in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

One famous early tango song is "El Choclo" by Ángel Villoldo, recorded in 1906. Another well-known tango, "La Cumparsita", was written in 1916 by a young man from Uruguay. Tango used instruments like guitar, flute, violin, and later the bandoneón. Over time, tango became loved all over the world.

Argentine roots of tango

Tango music started in Argentina and was shaped by many local styles, like Payada and the Milonga from the Argentine and Uruguay pampas. Milonga music came from the countryside and had strong African influences, especially from the Uruguayan candombe.

The word "tango" was first used to describe this music in Cuba in 1823, but Argentina's first mention of it was in an 1866 newspaper. Early tangos were played with instruments such as harp, violin, and flute. Famous early tango musicians included Casimiro Alcorta, who wrote songs like "Entrada Prohibida." Many early tangos had fun names, such as "El queco" and "Señora casera." The first tango score was recorded in 1889, and the first copyrighted tango was printed in 1898 by Rosendo Mendizabal.

1920s and 1930s, Carlos Gardel

Tango became very popular in Europe, beginning in France, thanks to artists like Enrique Saborido and Casimiro Aín. Carlos Gardel helped bring tango to new people, especially in the United States, through his film performances. During the 1920s, tango changed from being linked to lower-class areas to becoming a respected music and dance style. Bandleaders such as Roberto Firpo and Francisco Canaro changed the instruments used, adding a double bass instead of a flute.

Carlos Gardel played an important role in making tango respected by the middle class. He was one of the most popular tango artists and helped create what is called the "Golden Age of Tango". After his passing, tango split into different styles, with some artists wanting change and others preferring tradition.

Golden Age

The "Golden Age" of tango music and dance lasted from about 1935 to 1952, a time similar to the big band era in the United States. During this period, tango was performed by large bands called orquestas típicas. These bands often had many musicians.

Some of the most popular tango bands were led by Mariano Mores, Juan d'Arienzo, Francisco Canaro, and Aníbal Troilo. These bands made many famous tango songs that people still enjoy today. As tango became more popular, European bands also started playing it. They sometimes added new instruments and sang in different languages. This helped tango become a dance and music style enjoyed all over the world.

Tango nuevo

The later age of tango was led by Ástor Piazzolla, whose piece "Adiós nonino" became very important in tango music. In the 1950s, Piazzolla tried to create a new style of tango that was different from the old ways, which surprised many musicians. In the 1970s, Buenos Aires mixed jazz with tango, and artists like Litto Nebbia became popular.

After Piazzolla, other musicians such as Dino Saluzzi, Rodolfo Mederos, and others kept exploring new sounds in tango. In the late 1990s, Fernando Otero added more creative ideas to tango music, making it more complex and exciting.

1990s–2000s tango

In the late 1990s, new tango music started in Buenos Aires. It was inspired by old orchestra styles, not modern electronic sounds. This music grew in the early 2000s. Many new bands made their own tango songs.

Some of the best groups were Orquesta Típica Fernandez Fierro, started by Julian Peralta. He later made Astillero and Orquesta Típica Julián Peralta. Other famous bands and singers were Orquesta Rascacielos, Altertango, Ciudad Baigón, Alfredo "Tape" Rubín, Victoria di Raimondo, Juan Serén, Natalí de Vicenzo, and Pacha González. They all helped make this time of tango very exciting.

Neotango

Tango music kept growing even after tango nuevo. Today, we call the newest kinds of tango neotango. These new styles mix tango with electronic music.

Groups like Tanghetto and Carlos Libedinsky add soft electronic sounds to keep the classic tango feel. Gotan Project, started in 1999 in Paris by Philippe Cohen Solal, Eduardo Makaroff, and Christoph H. Muller, mixes beats and samples with tango rhythms. Their albums include Vuelvo al Sur/El capitalismo foráneo, La Revancha del Tango, Inspiración Espiración, and Lunático.

Another example is Bajofondo Tango Club, which also blends tango with electronic sounds. More music like this can be found on CDs such as Tango?, Hybrid Tango, Tangophobia Vol. 1, Tango Crash, Latin Tango by Rodrigo Favela, NuTango, Tango Fusion Club Vol. 1 from Munich, Felino by Electrocutango, and Electronic Tango.

Musical impact and classical interpreters

Tango music was played by tango specialists at first. But classical musicians brought it into concert halls. Arminda Canteros, an Argentinian pianist, played tangos for her father. She later had her own radio program in Rosario, Argentina, in the 1930s and 1940s. Canteros moved to New York City and recorded an album of tangos when she was 78 years old.

Other classical musicians have also played and recorded tango music. Cecilia Pillado, another Argentinian pianist, played a full tango recital at the Berliner Philharmonie in 1997. Famous musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Gidon Kremer, Plácido Domingo, and Marcelo Álvarez have all performed tangos. Classical composers such as Isaac Albéniz, Erik Satie, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weill, John Serry Sr., John Cage, John Harbison, Milton Babbitt, and Thomas Adès have also written pieces inspired by tango. Today, many international radio stations still play tango music regularly.

Main article: classical music