Argentinian Tango Essay

820 Words4 Pages
Argentinian Tango in Correlation to Dance Tango is the Argentinian derived musical genre that has come to have great popularity all over the world. The musical genre first gained popularity and became known throughout the suburbs of Buenos Aires at the ending of the 19th century. Although Argentinian tango has several identifiable components that make up the genre, one of the characteristics tango is most well known for is the dances performed along with the music. Tango is generally known as a romantic, intimate dance while performed between partners, but there are many variations of tango dance, everything from arms length dances, to the stereotypical face-to-face intimate dance most people identify tango as. Another very notable characteristic that comes along with Argentinian tango music is the instrument known as a bandoneon. A bandoneon is an accordion like aerophone. No other instruments are typically involved in the Argentinian tango genre. The rise in popularity of Argentinian tango music can be greatly attributed to a man by the name of Astor Piazzolla. Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinian tango music composer and bandoneon player. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1921, Piazzolla would go on to make a huge impact on the Argentinian tango style. Other big names in tango history include Carlos Gardel, Francisco Canaro, Juan D'Arienzo, and Osvaldo Pugliese. As far as the musical dissection of tango music goes, it is described as having a strong, repetitive beat based in 2/4 time. Some even describe tango music as sounding “off beat.” This beat allows the dancers accompanying the music to have a passionate and natural sensuality about them. Although tango dance may appear to some as just walking steps with an occasional spin or bow, tango actually has three main elements that are covered in each dance. The first element to tango music is the

More about Argentinian Tango Essay

Open Document