Argentine Tango: Convergence and Diffusion

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At the end of the nineteenth century in the cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay a new genre of music was evolving. This new genre of music eventually came to be called the Argentine Tango. Tango music evolved from the interaction of many different cultures, and it continues to evolve and branch out into many subgenres. Beginning around 1880 the first traces of the Argentine tango were beginning to fall into place. (History 2005) This occurred through the convergence of music of the many cultures which were found in the area. Immigration to Buenos Aires was prominent at the time, and the mestizaje—racial mixture—that took place between the Argentineans and the immigrants lead to the creation of the tango as music, dance, and poetry. (History 2005) However, even after the Argentine tango was established it continued to change as time progressed.

The Argentine tango has changed and evolved over time, and thus it has been categorized into different periods. The first was the pre-tango period in during which the foundations of the tango were noticed and began to come together, but did not quite form the tango yet. This period began in 1880 and lasted until 1895. (Rivera 1976: 10) The works produced during this time were still Spanish tangos, Cuban habaneras, milongos, and pre-tangos. (Rivera 1976: 10) The next period in the Argentine tango’s timeline is the Old Guard which lasted from 1895 to 1917. (Olsen and Sheehy 2000: 395) During this period the tango came together and began to gain some structure. The first tangos created were tangos criollos, which in English translates to Creole tangos. (Romay 2000: 26) The instrument used for the tangos criollos was predominantly the piano. One such tango is “El Choclo” ...

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