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Perhaps one of the most innovative tangueros was Argentine composer, bandoneon player and arranger Astor Piazzolla. He became a revolutionary in the tango world when he incorporated jazz elements and classical music into his music. This new style was termed nuevo tango (new tango). One of his greatest hits is ‘Libertango,’ composed in 1974. Just …
Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla created the piece ‘Oblivion’ in 1982. It was famously featured in the 1984 Italian film ‘Enrico IV’ (‘Henry IV’) directed by Marco Bellocchio. The song has been described as “haunting” and “atmospheric,” and is considered to be one of Piazzolla’s most popular tangos. The film ‘Enrico IV’ was adapted from …
The Origin of the song ‘Oblivion’ (Astor Piazzolla) Read More »
One of Astor Piazzolla’s most definitive works is ‘Adios Nonino’ (Farewell, Grand Daddy). The tango was created by the Argentine composer as a way of saying goodbye to his father, who passed away in 1959. At the time, Piazzolla was on a tour of Central America when he heard news of his father’s death due …
‘El Dia Que Me Quieras’ (‘The Day That You Love Me’) is a tango composed by Carlos Gardel with lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera, originally recorded for the 1935 film of the same name. Gardel himself was the lead in the musical film opposite Spanish actress Rosita Moreno. Gardel and Le Pera wrote six songs …
Composed by Argentinian pianist Julio Cesar Sanders, ‘Adios Muchachos’ was intended as a playful hymn for a group of friends, but since its inception in September 9, 1927, the tango has evolved in many ways. One night, Sanders had been in a cafe with his friends in the Buenos Aires district of Flores. As the …
The Origin of ‘Adios Muchachos’ (Julio Cesar Sanders) Read More »
In 1934, French Argentine composer Carlos Gardel along with lyricist Alfredo Le Pera created the tango ‘Volver.’ It is considered one of the most famous and beautiful tangos as it has become a symbol of nostalgia for all the Argentines forced to migrate from their homeland. Like many migrants to the United States, Argentines were …
One of the most popular of Carlos Gardel’s tangos is “Por una Cabeza”. Written in 1935, the song’s title is originally a horse racing term “to lose by a head”. It was co-written by Alfredo Le Pera, just shortly before they were both killed in a plane crash in Columbia on 24 June 1935. The …
Would you believe a 17-year-old composed one of the most recognizable and most recorded tangos of all time? That’s what happened in 1916, when teenager Gerardo Hernan “Becho” Matos Rodríguez had his friend Manuel Barca show Orchestra Roberto Firpo his music. In his own words, Firpo said of that fateful evening on February 8, “One …
The Origin of La Cumparsita (Gerardo Hernan Matos Rodriguez) Read More »
Francisco Canaro’s 1935 recording of the tango ‘Poema’ is a favorite at milongas (dance salons). Composed by Mario Malfi and lyrics by Eduardo Bianco, this recording is sung by Roberto Maida. It has been described as “gently melancholic” and “softly nostalgic.” But the tango has a darker side to it. Tango DJ Hermann Nemolyakin has …
Another figure from the “Golden Age of Tango” during the 1940s is pianist, composer and orchestra leader Ricardo Tanturi. He was born on 27 January 1905 to Italian parents in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Barracas, considered one of the poorest areas by the Riachuelo (small river). He first studied the violin under Francisco Alessio, …