Tango is a style of music that originated among European immigrant populations of
Argentina and
Uruguay. It is traditionally played by a ***tet, known as the
orquesta típica, which includes two
violins,
piano,
doublebass, and two
bandoneons. Earlier forms of this ensemble sometimes included
flute,
clarinet and
guitar. Tango music may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist. Tango music is well-known across much of the world, along with the associated
tango dance.
The first Tango ever recorded was made by
Angel Villoldo and played by the French national guard in Paris. Villoldo had to record in Paris because in Argentina at the time there was no recording studio.
Early tango was played by immigrants in Buenos Aires. The first generation of tango players was called "Guardia Vieja" (the Old Guard). By the end of the 19th century, this blend of salon, European was heard throughout metropolitan
Buenos Aires. It took time to move into wider circles: in the early 20th century it was the favorite music of thugs and gangsters who visited the brothels, in a city with 100,000 more men than women (in 1914). The complex dances that arose from this rich music reflects the habit of men to practice tango together in groups, expressing both machismo and ***ual desire, leading to the distinct mix of sensitivity and aggressiveness of the form. The music was played on portable instruments:
flute,
guitar and
violin trios, with
bandoneón arriving at the end of the
19th century. The organito, a portable player-organ, broadened the popularity of certain songs.
Eduardo Arolas was the major instrument of the bandoneón's popularization, with
Vicente Greco soon standardizing the tango ***tet as consisting of piano, double bass, two violins and two bandoneóns. Like many forms of popular music, the tango was associated with the underclass, and the better-off Argentines tried to restrict its influence. In spite of the scorn, some, like writer
Ricardo Güiraldes, were fans. Güiraldes played a part in the international popularization of the tango, which had conquered the world by the end of
World War I, and wrote a 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".
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One song that would become arguably the most widely known of all tango melodies also dates from this time. The first two sections of
La Cumparsita were composed as a march instrumental in 1917 by then 17-year-old Uruguayan
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
Tango soon began to gain popularity in Europe, beginning in France. Superstar
Rudolph Valentino soon became a
*** symbol who brought the tango to new audiences, especially in the
United States, due to his sensual depictions of the dance on film. In the 1920s, tango moved out of the lower-class brothels and became a more respectable form of music and dance. Bandleaders like
Roberto Firpo and
Francisco Canaro dropped the flute and added a
double bass in its place. Lyrics were still typically macho, blaming women for countless heartaches, and the dance moves were still ***ual and aggressive.
Carlos Gardel became especially associated with the transition from a lower-class "gangster" music to a respectable middle-class dance. He helped develop
tango-canción in 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 like
Aníbal Troilo and
Carlos di Sarli were opposed to traditionalists like
Rodolfo Biagi and
Juan D'Arienzo.
The "Golden Age" of tango music and dance is generally agreed to have been the period from about 1935 to 1952, roughly contemporaneous with the
big band era in the United States.
Some of the many popular and influential orchestras included the orchestras of
Juan D'Arienzo,
Francisco Canaro, and
Aníbal 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.
Carlos Gardel, mural painting by
Carlos Páez Vilaró
Beginning in the Golden Age and continuing afterwards, the orchestras of
Osvaldo Pugliese and
Carlos di Sarli made many recordings. Di Sarli had a lush, grandiose sound, and emphasized strings and piano over the bandoneon, 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.