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Tango - Music From Argentina and Uruguay

From Tijana Ilich, former About.com Guide

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History:

Say the name Argentina, and the tango immediately comes to mind

The tango originated as urban dance music created by immigrant communities in Buenos Aires in the nineteenth century. Its roots can be traced back to Cuba, the Spanish zarzuela, music of African slaves and western Salon music of the nineteenth century

A Tango Orchestra:

Originally, a tango orchestra originally included flutes, guitar, and a trio of violins. By the end of the nineteenth century, a portable organ called an organito was added as was the instrument we now most closely associate with this music, the bandoneón, a type of concertina or accordion.

Over time the tango orchestra evolved into a sextet consisting of piano, double bass, two violins and two bandoneóns. But don’t think of tango music purely as instrumental music for the dance. Argentinean tango is a dance form that always includes song and a specific tango will be attributed to both the musical composer and the writer of the lyrics.

Carlos Gardel / Astor Piazzolla:

The tango genre produced Carlos Gardel, one of the most influential Latin music singers of all time, who reigned in the 1920s and 1930s.

During the 1940s, the “new” tango was pioneered by Astor Piazzolla, a tango sound influenced by jazz and blues. The "neuvo tango" is a form that is alive and well today.

Tango Today:

The tango has undergone its own evolution from its immigrant origins in the urban ghettos, to the dance hall, to the respectable night club, to the concert hall, and beyond. Neo-Tango, developed mostly in Europe, fuses electronic music with traditional instruments. Groups both in the Americas and in Europe, such as the Gotan Project in Paris are experimenting with new ways to experience the tango.

There is a wealth of tango music available, but the Julio Iglesias CD Tango is a pleasant way to spend some time with an old friend.