Golden Tango Ps

[Melissa Hassel]

Iremember the exact moment I "groked" tango, the moment I suddenly got it. It was on my second trip to Buenos Aires, a couple of years into learning tango. Stepping out the door of the famous Confiteria Ideal, the music from the class echoed down from the open windows of the dance hall. I'm sure it was Anibal Troilo, probably "Milongueando En El 40" or "P'a Que Bailen Los Muchachos". Between one step and the other, tango music sunk its fangs into my heart.

Most of us are unfamiliar with tango music, so we have the cultural problem of learning all about a foreign genre of music with 50 or more years of history. Secondly, we have the problem of hearing the music, then embodying, expressing, and communicating the music with movements... all the while, navigating or walking around the room backwards in high-heels.

Similar to Jazz, tango has a rich and varied history, so where do you start? In swing dancing, you want to choose jazz music that "SWINGS", so in a similar way we need to ask what tango music "TANGOS"? The swing metaphor gives us a clue, because the great dance orchestras of tango cover the 1930s and 1940s just like the great swing orchestras.

Argentine Tango is danced to the great orchestras of Buenos Aires from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This was the "Golden Era" of tango. Modern tango music like Astor Piazzola is not used for tango dancing (except perhaps for performances). With the end of the dance generation in the mid-1950s much of the tango recording industry moved to "tango for export" (big lush orchestrations) or "nostalgic tango" (singers for concert halls), neither of which are very good for dancing. Osvaldo Pugliese, despite being one of the most complex, "big" and dramatic orchestras, is remarkable for maintaining a tie to the dance rhythms even into the 1960s.

Newcomers could profitably start by listening to the orchestras of Juan D'Arienzo from the 1930s and Carlos Di Sarli from the 1950s because the beat is solid and strong, and therefore easier to hear. Di Sarli is famous for emphasizing the steady, walking beat. D'Arienzo is rightfully called the "king of rhythm" because of the rhythmic, Quick-quick-slow he emphasized. As a dancer you need to have command of the walk, as well as rhythmic drive.

Francisco Canaro was hugely popular over several decades. His older material is more rhythmic, while his later recordings have a more lyrical sensibility. I love Canaro's waltzes, but in general, I prefer Edgardo Donato as I feel his style had more punch than Canaro.

The intensely dramatic and passionate music of Osvaldo Pugliese is the peak experience for many tango dancers. It can be athletic or slow and deep. In Buenos Aires, when they put on a Pugliese set toward the end of the evening, they turn the lights down low while everybody looks around for their favorite partner.

The tango CDs listed below are selected from the Golden Era of tango dance orchestras. They include many popular tangos that you would hear in a typical tango dance in Buenos Aires. I suggest choosing a few albums (D'Arienzo, Canaro, Di Sarli) from this list, and putting them on rotation while commuting, walking, or doing chores. Start with the more straightforward styles I've labeled rhythmic, walking or romantic rather than complex ones with lots of syncopation.

Ivan Shvarts is the founder of the Senior Tango Program in the Bay Area. He has been the official tango instructor for San Francisco Parks and Recreation since 2006. He teaches both group and private classes in Emeryville, San Francisco, and San Bruno. Ivan is committed to providing a welcoming space for dancers of all levels and ages to develop their tango skills while simultaneously growing a community built on a celebration of movement and music. He is interested in how tango is a physical, emotional, and psychological dance that works out the body, the brain, and the soul.

As tango commenced its golden age in the 1930s, it swept through society and became the most popular dance, music and song of Argentina. Ensembles proliferated in number and increased in size. Tangueros began a process of individuation with their own orchestras by creating unique styles linked to how they varied tango melodic phrasing and accompanimental rhythms in their compositions and arrangements, as well as how they employed their performance practices. Additionally, tango composers and poets worked closely together to create unified vocal works, and stemming from the tradition of Gardel, the singer also became an important feature of golden-age tangos.

Thus, with his Buenos Aires Octet in 1955, he sought to create something new and exciting with tango. In doing so, he developed his nuevo tango, a combination of classical, jazz and tango musical styles. He specifically incorporated the electric guitar, 3-3-2 rhythms, heavy arrestes (foot drags) and extended yeites. Moreover, Piazzolla opened the door for future generations of musicians to explore tango and all its possibilities.

In more recent decades, tango has seen a rebirth both abroad and in Argentina, allowing the art form to progress in two basic streams: revitalizing the past and forging new directions. Those tangueros associated with revitalization have sought to capture the essence of a particular golden-age style, while others wanted to write new compositions within a homogenized golden-age sound. Tangueros forging new paths often have extended the legacy of Piazzolla, incorporating jazz and classical elements into their work while maintaining a tango foundation.

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Participants: Volunteers with PD (n=62) enrolled in the study and were randomized to a treatment group; 10 participants did not receive the allocated intervention, and therefore the final analyzed sample included 52 participants.

Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to the tango group, which involved 12 months of twice-weekly Argentine tango dance classes, or to the no intervention control group (n=26 per group).

Conclusions: Individuals with PD who participated in a community-based Argentine tango class reported increased participation in complex daily activities, recovery of activities lost since the onset of PD, and engagement in new activities. Incorporating dance into the clinical management of PD may benefit participation and subsequently quality of life for this population.

The "Golden Age of Tango" is generally accepted as being from 1935 to 1955. Most of the music played at milongas are from the Golden Age. It is important to note that a few historians consider 1925 to be beginning of "The Golden Age of Tango" and that it can be broken down into two periods, La Guardia Nueva: I (1925-1940) and La Guardia Nueva II (1940-1955)." I am choosing to go with the majority and to begin the Golden Age with Juan D'Arienzo.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the whole world had been in an economic slump and this included Argentina. But in 1935 Buenos Aires was preparing for the 400th anniversary if its founding as a city. This included building of a 72-meter high Obelisk and the opening of the avenida 9 de Julio. This brought a new energy and optimism to the city.

Tango had suffered in the last decade from the popularity of movies and other popular music genres such as Jazz taking over the radio. Tango music had also been becoming more complex and difficult to dance to.

A new partnership was forged, during this time, between the orchestras and the singers. Orchestra leaders figured out a way to incorporate in the singers without putting them in front and sacrificing the rhythm for dancers. ngel d'Agostino and the singer ngel Vargas is a good example of this relationship. Listen to their song, "Tres Esquinas" below.

In 1937, Anbal Troilo's orchestra debuted with Francisco Fiorentino as the singer. Troilo was a large man and had the nickname "Pichuco." He was an innovator and kept pushing tango into new areas especially once he hired a young bandoneon player named Astor Piazzolla and made him arranger for his orchestra. Troilo was popular with both dancers and the listening public. To this day, his pictures are hanging all over Buenos Aires cafs and restaurants. Listen to his song, "Tinta Roja" below.

Other famous orchestras from the Golden Age are: Carlos di Sarli, Osavaldo Pugliese, Osvaldo Fresedo, Miguel Cal, Rodolfo Biagi, Francisco Canaro, Lucio Demare, Edgardo Donato, Roberto Firpo, Pedro Laurenz, Francisco Lomuto, Alfredo de Angelis and Enrique Rodrguez. Click here for detailed articles on each of the major orchestras of tango.

By the mid to late 1940s, tango was at its height. There were 50 or so orchestras and countless ensembles playing around the city at salons, cafs, cabarets, confiteras and social and sports clubs. They were also playing around the country and traveling internationally.

Each district of the city had its own social and sports club such as River Plate, Huracn, Atlanta, Independiente. This is where many younger people came to learn to dance and socialize. They would also hold dances at night.

Tangology 101 is dedicated to the study of Argentine Tango dance, music and history. Our home base is Atlanta, GA where we host weekly classes and milongas, but we also teach regularly around the Southeast and even internationally.

Alfredo De Angelis is mostly known for his 1940s valses which are a staple at traditional milongas. Beyond that, he's often considered inferior to his contemporaries, presumably because he was busy making money producing populist, danceable music and felt no need to push boundaries.

Sympathies of present-age dancers and DJs come and go, but somehow I don't feel this judgment is likely to change. And if you listen to his tangos with Julio Martel, for instance, I wouldn't blame you if you were to agree. They feel bleak and depressing and there's no catharsis to be had.

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