5328 What is tango music?
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 15:42:51 -0300
From: "Janis Kenyon" <Jantango@feedback.net.ar>
Subject: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
To: "Tango-L" <Tango-L@MIT.EDU>
If you are a musician with musical scores of tangos in hand, it wouldn't
take you long to find one unique characteristic in every piece of tango
music. It is standard for a piece of music to end on the tonic of the key
in which it was composed. All tangos end on the tonic but with two extra
notes added--the dominant and tonic tones of the scale--the "chan chan"
which distinguishes tango music from all other types. No other music ends
this way. The dance was named for the music called tango. All composers of
tango followed this music form when composing tangos and valses. If you are
dancing tango steps to other music, you are not really dancing tango.
I have the sheet music for several tangos and valses to know this is true.
Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes written by Domingo Federico with
lyrics by Homero Exposito and recorded by Miguel Calo with Raul Beron
singing. I have the sheet music in my hands to know it is written in A
minor. The lyric ends on the word cruz! on A, but the music continues with
the dominant (fifth) and tonic (first) of the A minor scale. This makes it
tango from a musician's point of view according to the musical structure.
I doubt there would be such a debate on Tango-L if more dancers knew
something about music and/or studied with tango musicians in Buenos Aires.
Janis
www.totango.net/milongueros.html
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 12:54:16 -0800 (PST)
From: steve pastor <tang0man2005@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
Very interesting post, Janis.
Tell, me, in the valses that you have, is there a predominant pattern something
akin to two eight notes followed by quarter note? (or, if you will, a quarter note
followed by two eighth notes?
The answer to this question is, I hope obvious, but I have my reasons for asking.
Is there somewhere on line I could see a score for myself?
Thanks
P.S. I'm a non musician, but always trying to learn.
P.P.S. Keep educating us.
Janis Kenyon <Jantango@feedback.net.ar> wrote:
If you are a musician with musical scores of tangos in hand, it wouldn't
take you long to find one unique characteristic in every piece of tango
music. It is standard for a piece of music to end on the tonic of the key
in which it was composed. All tangos end on the tonic but with two extra
notes added--the dominant and tonic tones of the scale--the "chan chan"
which distinguishes tango music from all other types. No other music ends
this way. The dance was named for the music called tango. All composers of
tango followed this music form when composing tangos and valses. If you are
dancing tango steps to other music, you are not really dancing tango.
I have the sheet music for several tangos and valses to know this is true.
Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes written by Domingo Federico with
lyrics by Homero Exposito and recorded by Miguel Calo with Raul Beron
singing. I have the sheet music in my hands to know it is written in A
minor. The lyric ends on the word cruz! on A, but the music continues with
the dominant (fifth) and tonic (first) of the A minor scale. This makes it
tango from a musician's point of view according to the musical structure.
I doubt there would be such a debate on Tango-L if more dancers knew
something about music and/or studied with tango musicians in Buenos Aires.
Janis
www.totango.net/milongueros.html
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 22:33 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
From: "Chris, UK" <tl2@chrisjj.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
Cc: tl2@chrisjj.com
Janis wrote
> Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes ... All tangos end on the
tonic but with two extra notes added-- ... the "chan chan"
Last night I had to leave for the bus just before those last two notes -
still the piece felt like tango. ;)
> I have the sheet music for several tangos and valses to know this is true.
We have recordings of the performances and so know this is not true. E.g.
also by Cal? and Ber?n, "Verdemar", "Un crimen", "Coraz?n, no le hagas
caso", and "Cada dia te extra?o mas". No chan-chan.
Just as the map is not the terrain, the score is not the music.
--
Chris
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 22:57:51 -0300
From: "Janis Kenyon" <Jantango@feedback.net.ar>
Subject: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
To: "Tango-L" <Tango-L@MIT.EDU>
Chris wrote:
We have recordings of the performances and so know this is not true. E.g.
also by Cal? and Ber?n, "Verdemar", "Un crimen", "Coraz?n, no le hagas
caso", and "Cada dia te extra?o mas". No chan-chan.
Just as the map is not the terrain, the score is not the music.>>
I heard an interesting story told to me years ago in Club Almagro by a tango
musician. Supposedly, there was a bandoneonist who played for years with
Juan D'Arienzo. Later he went to play with Osvaldo Pugliese. He went home
frustrated after performances and played chan-chan continuously on his
instrument to get it out of his system. Why? Those last two notes are
played softly with Pugliese whereas they are very strong with D'Arienzo.
Todotango.com has scores of tango music. [See Library, select scores, and
then alphabetical listing.] The recordings may not have included a chan chan
at the end, but the sheet music of Verdemar has it written. It is the only
one of the four examples mentioned above which are included among the scores
on Todotango. I have the sheet music for Cada Dia Te Extrano Mas published
by Editorial Musical Korn; music by Armando Pontier with lyrics by Carlos
Bahr. It has the chan chan written in the original score. That makes it
tango in my book.
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2007 22:37:42 -0800
From: romerob@telusplanet.net
Subject: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
According to Raul Jaurena, the 2007 Grammy Award Winner and bandoneon player,
there are 2 styles of Tango and Milonga: 1 from Uruguay and 1 from Buenos
Aires, Argentina. The difference consists in that the Tango and Milonga from
Uruguay has more cadence, is played a bit slower, and has pauses due to its
lasting connection to African roots, while the Tango and Milonga from BA are
played a bit faster, and I think has no or fewer pauses.
Raul Jaurena has new cd called "Te Amo Tango" where he offers samples of the
style of Tango and Milonga from Uruguay. The Milongas are :"El Botija" y "La
Pirulita", and the Tangos are: "Guruyense" y "A Mancuso".
The late Florindo Sassone said that the real Tango is played strong and played
in a Milonga syle. In a live recording and in his last tour to Japan, Florindo
briefly made this remark when he played the tango called "La Clavada", and was
played with cadence, and a bit slower than other interpretaions I have listened
>from himself, and from other Argentine Tango bands.
Vicente Rossi in his book "Cosas de Negros" tracks the roots of Tango to the
Milonga from Uruguay, which he explains was edited by Argentine musicians into
Tango. A case in point was the use of parts of popular Milongas, but had no
author, and were used to create new Tango music.
Best regards,
Bruno
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:25:14 +0100
From: Alexis Cousein <al@sgi.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
Chris, UK wrote:
> Janis wrote
>
>> Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes ... All tangos end on the
> tonic but with two extra notes added-- ... the "chan chan"
>
> Last night I had to leave for the bus just before those last two notes -
> still the piece felt like tango. ;)
>
Not to mention the orchestras that break this convention on purpose - are
these no longer playing tango?
--
Alexis Cousein al@sgi.com
Senior Systems Engineer/Solutions Architect SGI/Silicon Graphics
--
<If I have seen further, it is by standing on reference manuals>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:52:39 -0500
From: "Bruno Afonso" <bafonso@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
To: "Alexis Cousein" <al@sgi.com>
Cc: tango-l@mit.edu
<4f5d14730712100852l45471536yb65d82086d3f4d73@mail.gmail.com>
The "chan chan" at the end is not the distinguishing element that
makes tango music, tango music. It's a mere adornment and a matter of
musical interpretation of the orchestra leader. Some orchestras do it,
some don't. Minor detail.
Here's some stuff on the web:
https://www.lafi.org/magazine/articles/tango.html
For example, this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmomDbanm0U
it features orquestra tipica playing a short stretch at around 1:45 or
so. It has, in terms of a II chord (Cm7, minor chord), the following
notes from the sca
1 3b (minor) 5 7b (dominant, tension) 6b 5b 5
(if you consider the last notes are already on G, then it's 1b 1 7)
This playing and use of notes around 5th is somewhat associated to
tango sound and it is present in a lot of others compositions. Also,
the way play it, helps. Notice that although they syncopate, it's very
"on beat", not so much swinging like a more jazzy player would do.
b
On 12/10/07, Alexis Cousein <al@sgi.com> wrote:
> Chris, UK wrote:
> > Janis wrote
> >
> >> Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes ... All tangos end on the
> > tonic but with two extra notes added-- ... the "chan chan"
> >
> > Last night I had to leave for the bus just before those last two notes -
> > still the piece felt like tango. ;)
> >
> Not to mention the orchestras that break this convention on purpose - are
> these no longer playing tango?
>
>
> --
> Alexis Cousein al@sgi.com
> Senior Systems Engineer/Solutions Architect SGI/Silicon Graphics
> --
> <If I have seen further, it is by standing on reference manuals>
>
>
--
Bruno Afonso
https://brunoafonso.com (personal, mostly portuguese)
https://openwetware.org/wiki/User:BrunoAfonso (Professional, english)
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:02:36 -0500
From: Carol Shepherd <arborlaw@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] What is tango music?
To: tango-l@mit.edu
Furthermore the chan chan is also pervasive in many other types of
music, such as Afrocuban.... See, eg, "Chan Chan" by BVSC, which has
chan chan at the end of every phrase. So, conventional for certain
artists, no doubt -- but not unique to tango.
Bruno Afonso wrote:
> The "chan chan" at the end is not the distinguishing element that
> makes tango music, tango music. It's a mere adornment and a matter of
> musical interpretation of the orchestra leader. Some orchestras do it,
> some don't. Minor detail.
>
>
--
Carol Ruth Shepherd
Arborlaw PLC
Ann Arbor MI USA
734 668 4646 v 734 786 1241 f
Arborlaw - a legal blog for entrepreneurs and small business
https://arborlaw.com
