The Tango

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Think of Latin America and think of Tango. The precise origins of the tango are not known, but the tango which became one of the most popular international ballroom dances in the 20th century is believed to have grown out of the poor slum areas (arrabal) of the Argentinean capital, Buenos Aires. One of the most distinctive sounds of the Tango is that of the bandoneon, which is a type of accordion.

Gardel: Mi Buenos Aires querido

Here is a tango by Carlos Gardel who is one of Argentina’s most famous tango musicians.

What is a tango?

There are 3 main types of tango.

Gardel: Arrabal Amargo

The first type of tango is the tango-milonga which is written for large popular orchestra and has a particularly strong rhythmic character. Here is a tango milonga by Carlos Gardel.

Francisco De Caro Flores negras

The second type of tango is the tango-romanza which, as its name suggests, is romantic music. It is a lyrical tango which is often sung. This is one of the most famous examples of tango-romanza: Flores negras by Julio De Caro.

Un Boliche, Anibal Troilo

The third type of tango is the tango-cancion and, as its name suggests, it is always sung (cancion means ‘singing’ in Spanish). Often the lyrics of these tangos expressed the struggles of life in the poor slum areas of Buenos Aires.

tango rhythm

All three types of tango use the same dotted rhythm to accompany the melodies.

Tango was transported from Argentina and taken to the fashionable salons of Paris in the early years of the 20th century. Its popularity was so great that soon tango had swept across the whole of Europe to become one of the most popular ballroom dances.

Piazzolla: Libertango

Another Argentinean tango musician, Astor Piazzolla, made the tango even more popular in more recent years by adding electric guitar to the tango ensemble.

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