infotango

infotango
*poets and composers*			*music examples*


Borges, Jorge Luis			Candombe
Piazzolla, Astor			Habanera
Salgán, Horacio			Milonga
			Milonga Campera
			Tango
			Tango Andaluz






Borges, Jorge Luis

Poet and writer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 24, 1899. In a biography of Borges, Allen B. Ruch tells us that “Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Palermo, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires. Although by the time the Borges settled there, the neighborhood had calmed down somewhat, Palermo still carried a colorful legacy of cabarets and brothels, a place where violent men and lusty women danced the tango and told stories aflame with gauchos, knife-fights, and vengeance. It was a legacy that Borges would absorb with all the passion of an intellectual outsider seeking to identify with the allure of the dangerous and the socially misplaced, and it cast its spell over much of Borges’ earliest work”. On June 14, 1986, at the age of 86 died in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1965, Borges and Astor Piazzolla collaborated on an album of tangos and milongas called El Tango that included: “El Hombre de la Esquina Rosada”, “Fundación Mítica de Buenos Aires”, “A Don Nicanor Paredes”, “El Títere”, “Alguien le dice al Tango” and “Jacinto Chiclana”. The compositions in this first album were played by Astor Piazzolla and orchestra and sung by Edmundo Rivero, and the recitatives were performed by Luis Medina Castro. Jorge Luis Borges died on June 14, 1986, in Geneva, Switzerland, at the age of 86. For more information on Jorge Luis Borges’ life and works you can visit http://www.themodernword.com/borges/borges_biography.html top


Piazzolla, Astor

One of Argentina’s greatest composers and virtuoso bandoneón player, born in Mar del Plata, Province of Buenos Aires, on March 11, 1921. Died in Buenos Aires on July 4^th, 1992. For more information on Piazzolla’s life and works please visit http://www.piazzolla.org/biography/biography-english.html top


Salgán, Horacio
Virtuoso pianist, tango composer, orchestra director and arranger, was born in Buenos Aires on June 15th, 1916. He still lives in that city where he performs and continues to produce unique musical compositions. For more details on his life and works please visit http://www.horaciosalgan.com/english/home.htm top





*music examples*			poets and composers




Candombe
It is an African derived rhythm and dance brought to the Rio de la Plata by black slaves in the 18ht and early 19th centuries. The streets of Montevideo and Buenos Aires saw the dance to take root as a lively demonstration of African culture. Candombe, with habanera, tango Andaluz and milonga campera became one of the forerunners of milonga and tango of the Rio de la Plata. The following example (Azabache), although composed in the 20th century, is based on traditional candombe rhythm and melodies


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Habanera
Gentle, wavy and melodic dance that became popular in the 19th century Havana, Cuba. Many regard habanera as a blend of European "contradanse" and Spanish and African rhythms of the period. It found its way to many Latin American countries via Spain, and it is certain to have influenced the birth and evolution of Argentine's milonga and tango. Sebastian Yradier (1809-1865) wrote many famous habaneras, among them "La Paloma". Another famous habanera was composed by Georges Bizet (1838-1875) shortly before his death, as part of his opera Carmen. See example:

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Milonga
Milonga is a lively and syncopated rhythm written in 2/4 time. It became popular as a dance in the last decades of the 19^th century in the slums and fringe quarters of Buenos Aires. Its vivacious rhythm has a close association to candombe and its syncopated character derives from the habanera, milonga campera and tango Andaluz. Milonga has remained a favorite dance of the Rio de la Plata till today. Taquito Militar by Mariano Mores (you can listen a clip in the Recordings page of this website or by clicking here) has the typical rhythm that makes milonga the delight of dancers of the music of Buenos Aires. The following example illustrates a milonga: top



Milonga Campera
Milonga campera is an Argentine folk music form of Hispanic influence, typically sung accompanied by guitar. Gauchos adopted the form to strike duels of improvised lyrics called "payadas". Milonga (see below), by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) is a typical example of milonga campera.


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Tango
Early tango examples can be traced back to the Buenos Aires of the late 19^th. century. This musical form written in 2/4 time was adopted in its origin as a dance and usually played by a small group consisting of guitar, violin and flute. Bandoneon became the defining instrument of Argentine tango in the early 20^th century. Milonga gave to tango its initial form and, not surprisingly, tango found its niche in the same environment of slums and fringe quarters. But tango was played at a slower speed than milonga and with a mix of syncopated bars (as the milonga), and bars of 4 straight eighth notes. Many compositions of the Guardia Vieja period bear the name “Tango-Milonga" or "Tango Criollo" and represent an obvious transition stage in the evolution of tango. Composers of the mid 20^th century began to write tangos in 4/4 or 4/8 times to better represent the rhythm and beat accentuation of the Argentine tango (see example.) top



Tango Andaluz
Tango Andaluz is a Spanish dance form derived from the European "contradanse" and influenced by the habanera. Isaac Albeniz composed "Tango in D" as part of his suite España and is considered a prime example of Andalucian tango. See below:


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