{"id":7485,"date":"2023-09-18T21:09:47","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T02:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=7485"},"modified":"2023-09-25T13:55:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T18:55:29","slug":"latin-american-music-and-the-argentinian-tango","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2023\/09\/18\/latin-american-music-and-the-argentinian-tango\/","title":{"rendered":"Latin American Music and the Argentinian Tango"},"content":{"rendered":"

There seems to be a major misconception to what the first large wave of Latin American music was in the United States. Many seem to believe that the first large wave was in 1930 with the large wave of immigration from both Cuba and Mexico, this isn\u2019t entirely incorrect. That was a large wave of immigration that brought along music, but the first large foray into Latin music was in 1910. A duo of husband and wife brought over the Argentinian Tango from France.1<\/sup><\/a> Quite the interesting road map\u2026 Vernon and Irene Castle were the two that brought the Tango over from France in 1913, confusing right?<\/p>\n

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“Advertisement: Tango (Tango).” 1977.Vogue, Aug 01, 47.<\/p><\/div>\n

When the two performed this on Broadway, it was a smash hit and took off immediately. \u00a0While it took off in the United States, there was a different version centralized in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Tango scene in Buenos Aires would seem much different from the United States. The Argentinian Tango is characterized by an emphasis on improvisation and the music that accompanies it. If the dance is not accompanied by Argentinian Tango music, it would not fit the bill.<\/p>\n

There is a slight problem with the Tango in the United States, they lack any connection to Argentinian composers or performers. Developments that are seen in Argentina, aren\u2019t seen in the United States. This isn\u2019t all bad, there are some good things that came from this problem. Tango is being used on Broadway more frequently, and there are some *fusions* starting to happen, particularly in the jazz scene. Some of the earliest examples include classics like \u201cA Night in Tunisia\u201d played by Dizzy Gillespie. There are also some new tunes written specifically around Tango, \u201cTango Land\u201d by Henry C Lodge2<\/sup><\/a> is a perfect example. Listen for the syncopation, it\u2019s a defining characteristic of the Tango.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n