Brief History of Argentine Tango

It is known that every teacher receives from his students as much or more than he is capable of giving. In this sense, in my thirteen years as a foreign language Spanish teacher in Argentina, I must thank many of my students who have taught me to appreciate and value Argentine tango. This musical genre includes various nuances, be it musicals, song lyrics, dance styles and cultural aspects. In Buenos Aires, a couple of hundred of the common people of the town - the majority, of European origin - supported him in his early years (1880-1920). It will be because tango, like them, was born on the outskirts of the city. At that time, popular musicians, many of them born in Italy, made their living offering street performances, in coffee shops or in brothels, whose scene was the neighborhoods most poor. Some of the first tango lyrics even had a brothel tone. It was not reserved to be heard in theaters or in salons of "good" people, although it used to sneak into the elegant cabarets frequented by wealthy people.

Around 1920, tango began to conquer wider audiences among Argentines. Gone are the forbidden or not very "decent" environments where it was spread. New were the dance styles - more stylized and with more elaborate techniques - the composition of the orchestras, incorporating professional musicians and a greater number of instruments, and the lyrics of the songs. Much of the people accompanied him in his golden age (c. 1940-60), when great orchestras and singers - performers of popular dances and concerts, records and films - came together to show their art.

It is known that since the sixties of the last century, its importance has been declining and that in the last twenty years it has begun to be valued again. At that time, many young people associated tango with music with a melancholic tone, whose songs also dealt with melancholic themes: the love of a couple destroyed and impossible to repair; the love deception; the maternal figure victim of countless misfortunes including poverty; the neighborhood (neighborhood), generally poor, evoked by the lyricist in an affectionate and nostalgic way; man, that is, the human being, the protagonist of strong experiences that will mark him for a lifetime... «Melancholy, nostalgia, sadness, "All past times were better", tastes of older people, "would say young people at the time of their decline, among which is included who this write.

Although it has never been abandoned, in the last couple of decades an infinity of activities related to tango have resurfaced: academic studies, university and tertiary, reproduction of old discographies, dance academies, specialized musicians and orchestras... In addition, thousands of foreigners from the more diverse nationalities come to Argentina year after year to learn more about tango, the exciting hobby or specialization to which they dedicate great part of his life. To some of them, whom I was lucky enough to meet during my Spanish courses, I am deeply grateful for having shown me the benefits of Argentine tango.

Mariángeles Di Paola
Spanish classes in Buenos Aires, Argentina - Grammarama