Tango Music

            Tango was the first Latin American dance to gain great international popularity.  The tango is a ballroom dance in slow 2/4 time with an irregularly accented beat.  The dancing couple glides smoothly through a variety of step patterns.  They alternate long, slow steps with short, quick steps, and strike elaborate poses.  The music for this dance is also called tango, and is very dramatic.

            The precise roots of tango are not apparent, though it surely traces as far back as more than a century ago.  Commencing immediately earlier than the 20^th century, it grew in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.  In this regard, it is considered to be Argentina’s as well as Uruguay’s contribution to the civilization of humanity.  Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay are identical metropolises, situated on the opposite coasts by the opening of the Rio De La Plata (Pfeffer NP).  The novel “candombe” beat were perceived in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and tango has been an essential element of their culture since then (Pfeffer NP).

Today’s tango probably began as an Argentine dance called the milonga and includes elements of the Andalusian tango from Spain and the Cuban habanera.  At first, the tango was considered indecent.  But people liked the steps and rhythm so much that they modified the dance into a more acceptable form.  The tango was popularized in the United States about 1912 by Vernon and Irene Castle, a famous ballroom dance team.  It also became popular in Paris and London.

            In the United States, people of color modified European structures of entertainment and customs.  In this light, the melodic and choreographic substance they encountered developed because of the fusion of melodic essentials that defined the melody and dance that is truly African.  These developments were then espoused by the white civilization, initially as a reproduction of the custom of people of color and eventually as a reputable form.  This was done to give basis to the different forms of melody and dance in the whole of the United States.  It is undeniably a key to the progress of the dance called (Aslan NP).

            Among the hugely familiar significant variety in the advancement of the premature tango was the habanera which originated in Cuba (Aslan NP).  The Cuban Habanera grew to be a commotion and was brought back to Spain.  It was then baptized as the Tango Americano (Aslan NP).  During the later part of the 19^th century, the people of Argentina came to know about this dance (Aslan NP).  In grew in popularity in Buenos Aires since then.  This dance was originally an element of the Spanish zarzuela (Aslan NP).

            At the same time as the tango endured as dance composition, it eventually gained an audience who was fascinated by its harmonious and poetic abundance.  Recordings, stage plays as well as coffee bars provided budding tango artists a venue to enhance their craft.  While more conservatory – educated artists joined the lines, the degree of musicianship also elevated.

As the turn of another ten years in one hundred years, the dance received huge popularity.  Nonetheless, tango did not conquered a huge part of the culture of the locals of Argentina just yet until its artists performed their acts the world over and gained recognition for a job well done.  Since then, they carry this mark with pleasure and identity.  In particular segments of civilization, tango was uncovered of its other lascivious steps, and the consequential choreography turned out to be what is now identified as Plain Tango (Aslan NP).

            For the original artists, the bandoneon depicted the distinctive music of the orchestra.  Originally, the melodic accompaniment was given to the violin, guitar, as well as the white flute (Aslan NP).  These instruments played the tango music in harmony (Aslan NP).

            It took the reigns over harmonious as well as metrical roles, eventually restoring the guitar and the flute.  In reference to historians, the technical dilemma of the bandoneon instrument compelled orchestras to decelerate the tempo of their acts (Aslan NP).

            Moreover, tango underwent expressive alterations during the period of deceleration.  The powerful pressure of the immigrants from Italy carried a despondent trait to the music that was lost during the premature period (Aslan NP).

            The rhythm of the dance veered away from the authentic habanera influence and moved into a more stable pattern.  During the latter part of the 1910’s, bass and piano were also incorporated to the premature tango orchestra.  It was as a conclusion to the progress of tango accompaniment (Aslan NP).

The lack of drums in this dance form is possibly the most prominent facet of this kind. The musical task is taken part by all the other musical instruments.  Forming the backbone is the bass.  In playing the bandoneon, the leg supplies the rhythm.

The violins contribute in producing the rhythm.  Every piece of the orchestra had its own way of translating this pattern by means of altering the span and strain of the powerful beats.

This was supported by the unusual traits of the bandoneon, which permitted the musicians to express the note initially with the keys and there after, with the bellows (Aslan NP).  This technique is called the arrastre (Aslan NP).

In the like manner, the bass glides into the initial beat and then the piano replicates a glide with sets of refined notes.  Distinct from the marcato is the melodic pattern referred to as sincopa (Aslan NP).  The sincopa sets the stress on the upbeats of the initial as well as the fourth beat (Aslan NP).  However, this variation is relative.  Other patterns set the stress on the upbeat following the initial beat (Aslan NP).

Typically, the Argentine Tango’s dancers are seen in a balanced, fairly locked embrace, normally does contact with their heads (Pfeffer NP).  It is only in this form of tango where one can possibly witness both dancers heading on a similar direction (Pfeffer NP).

Another form of dance is the Tango Canyengue (Aslan NP).  It traces its roots way back in the 1920’s up to the 1930’s (Aslan NP).  It has a 2/4 tempo (Aslan NP).  Tango Canyengue also has tiny steps initially with the lengthy, stretched fashion in the ladies’ clothing during that period.  The dancers are faintly offset in a locked embrace (Pfeffer NP).

            There is also the Tango Liso (Pfeffer NP).  It traces its roots from the humble but packed dance venues which has really tiny area and thus requires carefully calculated steps.  In this form, it is understandable that decorative moves are out of place (Pfeffer NP).

            On the other hand, the Salon Tango originated from the high end dance halls of large floor areas (Pfeffer NP).  These halls permit the execution of decorative moves.  Salon Tango is normally executed in an unlocked embrace (Pfeffer NP).

            Another form is the Tango Orillero (Pfeffer NP).  This utilizes the dance’s different trimmings, consisting of quick foot works, kicks and the like.  It traces its roots in the borders and peripheries, places where bigger dance floors availed for the performers complete freedom to execute the steps they please (Pfeffer NP).

            The Tango Milonguero, for its part is an effortlessly familiar form of dance (Pfeffer NP).  The dancers are in a locked embrace, actually inclined somewhat close to one another – permitting space for their feet to be in motion.  It progressed during the 1940’s until the 1950’s at nearly filled dance venues (Pfeffer NP).

            Juan Maglio directed an especially famous quartet during the first ten years at the turn of the century (Aslan NP).  Maglio’s quartet which consist of bandoneon, violin, guitar, and, flute was a creative testimony.  The quartet’s version became extremely famous (Aslan NP).

One more significant tango artist was Roberto Firpo (Aslan NP).  Also a pianist, he is among the original composers of tango music.  He was educated under the mentorship of Alfredo Bevilacqua (Aslan NP).  Bevilscqua was among the first mentors of tango and he even authored a book on the subject of tango methods.  Subsequent to staging in small assemblage in various establishments around the city, Firpo founded an orchestra that eventually became the take-off point of future careers in tango dance (Aslan NP).

Among the original composers and tango artists are Francisco Canaro, Angel Villoldo, and, Eduardo Arolas (Aslan NP).  Canaro besides being a composer was also a leader of the band.  His was a career that has endured and been successful.  All of them are responsible for the composition of the original tango music that was made popular the world over (Aslan NP).

Firpo’s founding orchestra includes Eduardo Arolasm (Aslan NP).  He played the bandoneon since the year 1913 (Aslan NP).  He pioneered the utilization of both hands in performing harmonious thirds as well as octaves. Furthermore, Arolasm was prominent in the growth of the bandoneon.  Almost an entire generation of players looked up to him for inspiration (Aslan NP).

Arolasm is also recognized for conceiving the arastre technique (Aslan NP).  It comprised of hitting on the notes prior to the beat and expressing them with the bandoneon’s holler happening at the subdued.  He was a self – educated artist and a creative composer at the same time.  His music can still be heard until this very day (Aslan NP).

Works Cited

“Argentine Tango Dance Figures and Exercises San Francisco, Roseville, Sacramento.” 2008.

Lovemusiclovedance.com. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from

http://www.lovemusiclovedance.com/argentine_tango_steps.htm.

Aslan, Pablo. “The Evolution of Tango Music.” 1990. Avantango.com. Retrieved April 28,

2008, from http://www.avantango.com/Pages/Articles/musichist.html.

Ganguly, Poushali. “Tango Music.” 6 February 2008. Buzzle.com. Retrieved April 28, 2008,

from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tango-music.html.

Pfeffer, Murray L. “Tango.” 2008. Info.net. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from

http://info.net/usa/tango.html.