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TANGO MUSIC IN ARGENTINA

Brennan Harris
MHL 344: Music in World Cultures
November 16, 2014

Tango Music in Argentina

Introduction

The topic that I have chosen to research for this essay is the tango. I have chosen this
topic for a couple reasons. The first reason, that I chose to research the tango, is because I am
guitarist; The guitar, as we will discuss later, is widely associated with genre of tango music and
since the tango (and the contemporary music that has been influenced by it) makes up a large
part of the modern guitar repertoire I thought that it would be beneficial to have a better
understanding of its origins and traditional playing practices. Although the tango exists in
various cultures, I will focus on the main originators and genres in Argentina during the 19th and
20th centuries.
History
The etymology of the word tango is unclear and is often debated. Some claim that word
is of African origin and carries the meaning of African dance, others believe that it is derived
from an old Spanish word meaning to play an instrument, and others claim that it was first
used by black slaves in the La Plata area (Uruguay and northeastern Argentina) to designate their
percussion instruments (Behague). Despite the uncertainty of the earliest origins of the word
tango it is clear that the Argentine tango, as known throughout the 20th century, is directly
related to the Cuban contradanza, the habanera, and the Cuban tango (Behague).
The Tango is said to have originated in the Arrabal(suburb) or Orillas
(outskirts/slums) of Buenos Aires whose populations consisted of millions of European
immigrants and Argentine Gauchos (South American equivalent of the Cowboy). It is said
that the Gaucho traditional dance, the Milonga, combined with the Habanera and the
Andalusian tango form the rhythmic characteristics of what we now know as the Argentine tango
(Behague). Beginning in the early 20th century, the tango was dominated by three main genres:
the tango-milonga (instrumental), the tango-romanza (instrumental or vocal), and the tango-

cancin (vocal). During the early 1930s the tango-cancin represented the tangos
transformation from a genre associated with the seedy underworld of the Arrabales to one of a
wider urban popular genre (Behague). One of the most important figures in the development and
popularization of the tango-cancion was Carlos Gardel. He was largely responsible for
transforming the tango from its strictly dancing character to a song type of socio-cultural
significance, and a type with which Argentines of different social classes could identify
(Behague). Some of the most famous songs that are attributed to Gardel are El da que me quieras,
Mi Buenos Aires querido, Por una cabeza, Volver, Silencio and Cuesta abajo (Behague). Although the
tango decreased in popularity during the early 1930s due to the economic effects of the stock market
crash of 1929, the latter half of the decade saw the resurrection of the tango into what is known as its
golden era (Strada 1995: 53). This era was characterized by a renewed interest in the tango as a dance,
the incorporation of tango into movies, the advent of a new and evolutionary repertoire, and the diffusion
of the genre by the radio (Strada 1995: 55). The 1950s brought with it a new crisis for the tango and a
sharp decline in popularity as new imported music (tropical dances, rock and roll) replaced the tango as
the choice of dance music for the people of Argentina (Strada 1995: 68-69). Not long after the end of the
golden era of the tango, there was a resurgence of a newly evolved version of the tango known as
nuevo tango. This new movement within the tango tradition was characterized by a more intellectual
form with jazz and classical influences, and was made internationally famous by Astor Piazzolla whose
Adios Nonino was the biggest hit since El dia que me quieras in the days of Gardel (Strada 1995: 75-79).
Astor Piazzolla and the nuevo tango would remain the dominant influence within genre throughout the
rest of the 20th century.
Musical Style
The tango ensemble, and the instruments used in it, has changed almost as often as the genre
itself. The first instrumental tango ensembles were tercetos or trios, generally including violin,

guitar and flute, with accordion frequently replacing the guitar. It was also common to see

arrangements for solo piano as well as piano and voice (Behague). Around the turn of the
century the tango trio featured the piano, the violin, and the bandonen. The bandonen is an
aerophone of Germanic origin and resembles the accordion in its construction (Doktorski 1998).
Around 1911 a famous bandleader and composer Vicente Greco is credited for being the first to
standardize the tango ensemble which he called the orquesta tpica crillola. This ensemble
generally included the violin, flute, guitar, and the bandonen (Behague). As the tango evolved
so did the makeup of the tango ensemble. During the golden era of the tango, the typical
ensemble grew larger with ensembles of up to four bandoneones, a large string section, with
violins, a cello, a double bass, and a piano; this is what came to be known as simply the orquesta
tpica and would often times include a vocalist as well (Behague). In the 1940s Astor Piazzolla
broke away from the tradition of the orquesta tpica and introduced large orchestral
arrangements, including percussion. Later on he also introduced the electric guitar into smaller
tango ensembles (Behague).
The tangos from the early 20th century were mostly written in 2/4 meter, while tangos
written during the golden era were written in a much slower 4/4 meter (Wendland 2007: 2).
The tango is based on the habanera rhythm and its variations. The rhythm that has been
borrowed from the habanera is referred to as the tango-milonga rhythm and consists of a dotted
8th-16th note rhythm followed by two eighth notes. The first variation of the habanera rhythm is
called the sncopa. The sconpa is a distinct syncopated rhythm that consists of a 16th-8th-16th
note rhythm (Wendland 2007: 2). There is a third variation known as the 3-3-2 rhythm that is
notated as a dotted quarter-dotted quarter-quarter note figure; however, despite its obvious use in
many tangos I was only able to find non-scholarly sources to support this (tangomusicology.com
2013). The phrases within the tango are typically divided into 4 and 8 bar groups and generally

harmonically limited to the tonic-dominant-subdominant chords. The melodies are lyrical and
expressive, using the linear- 5-6-5 and triplet neighbor-note figures (Wendland 2007: 2).
It would be impossible discuss the tango without mention of the dance that is associated
with it. The dance is said to have originated in the brothels and bordellos of the arrabal as
described in many of the early tangos, and has even been referred to as the danza
prostituta(Gobello 1980: 114). The tango is described by latin american historian Deborah
Jakubs as [being] danced from the hips to the feet, In this it it is vaguely reminiscent of a step in
the candombe, performed with the upper body erect, with movement only from the waist down.
The body is rigid, the face expressionless, the gaze hardened.(Jakubs 1984: 138)
The tango is often characterized as having lyrics and themes that are focused on
machismo, thieves, prostitution, other unseemly aspects of the Arrabal; However some experts
suggest that this a mischaracterization and only focuses on certain compositions that monopolize
the tango outside of Argentina (Barrionuevo 1978: 65). The lyrics of the tango are expressed in 3
different dialects or themes: el Lunfardo, which is the popular slang unique to Buenos Aires; el
Gauchesco, the vernacular of the Argentine cowboy; and the last carries no specific name, but is
characterized as without impurity, hesitant to be vulgar, and poetic(Barrionuevo 1978). Each
of these different thematic categories can include lyrics that focus on love, mothers, nostalgia,
places (particularly Buenos Aires), social commentary, and the countryside (Barrionuevo 1978:
65-71).
As I have already mentioned in the history of the tango, there are three main genres of the
tango: the tango-milonga, the tango-romanza, and the tango-cancin. The tango-milonga is
always instrumental and has a strong rhythmic character. The tango-romanza can be either vocal
or instrumental and has strongly romantic lyrics. And lastly the tango-cancin; this genre of the

tango is always vocal with an instrumental accompaniment and has lyrics with a sentimental
theme (Behague).
Out of all of the music characteristics that we have discussed concerning the tango, I
consider the rhythmic variations of the habanera to be the most distinguishing characteristic of
the genre. Through out the history of the tango, it was always the unique rhythmic characteristics
the dance and song that defined the genre.
Cultural connections, setting and significance
Throughout its history, the tango has been performed for the entertainment of both the
young and the old. In the early days of the tango, it was performed in cafes, academies, dancing
halls, carnivals, theaters, variety shows, and cabarets. In more recent times the tango has been
performed and heard in tanguerias, a name for tango clubs in Argentina, and continues to be
danced in halls and clubs throughout the country. These performances range from highly formal
performance to very informal, impromptu gatherings (Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
1998).
Through out the first half of the 20th century, the tango did not make use of much
technology, other than being featured in movies and on the radio (Behague). However, with the
advent of nuevo tango the use of technology became more prevalent in performances. A good
example of this is the performance of Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla and his quintet. In the
performances with his quintet you can see that guitar is electric, and therefore amplified, and you
can also see that all of the instruments are making use of microphones in order to amplify their
sound in what seems to be a very large venue (youtube).
Tango music has been performed in a variety of circumstances over the last 100 years,
and therefore the characteristics of both the performer and the listener has changed over the span

of its history. In its early years, the tango was relegated to the lower middle class citizens and
immigrants who lived in the arrabales as well as other seedy characters. The social and political
changes that began in 1912 brought the tango to new audiences in central Buenos Aires and
brought better trained musicians to the genre. Later on the use of the tango in movies and on the
radio would have similar effect, bringing the middle class to the genre (Garland Encyclopedia of
World Music 1998).
The tango was product of the history of Argentina. During the 1800s the influx of
European immigrants to the Rio Plate area created large lower class suburbs known as arrabales.
It was in these suburbs, that the strife caused by social inequality gave birth to the tango (Taylor
1976: 282). The world depression in the 1930s caused feelings of frustration and bitterness,
feelings which had been emphasized by the tango, making the tango relevant once again as a
vehicle for self expression (Taylor 1976: 283).
The tango has come to form an integral part of Argentine culture and spirit. For better or
worse, the Argentine people are sometimes characterized as pessimistic, bitter, and sad. There is
a common saying Somos un pueblo gris (We are a gray people), the melancholy of the
hombre tanguero resonates with Argentine people (Taylor 1976: 276). On the other end of the
emotional spectrum, the tango has also come to evoke a sense of hope and social mobility.
Although the dream of social mobility meant little to the affluent families of Buenos Aires, it
was quite significant to those would grew up in in the arrabales, no one embodies this dream
better than Carlos Gardel, who rose from the slums and attained international fame and success.
(Taylor 1976: 280). For any Argentine, the tango also evokes a sense of nostalgia and signifies a
return to the barrio, the neighborhood in which they grew up (Taylor 1976: 281).

From a technical standpoint, my definition of tango music is that it is an Argentine dance

music based on rhythmic variations of the habanera. However I believe that the tango, as a
tradition is something much more than that. The tango is the pride of the Argentine people, it is
an expression of the history and an embodiment of the Argentine spirit.

Bibliography
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November 16, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JijbtlEPcY
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