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Introduction

Key Concepts

Traditional tango

Le Grand Tango

Reception of the tango nuevo

Territorial vs. territorialized: Conclusions

Works Cited

The following terms are of particular interest in the study. The definitions given on this page will serve as the basis for their use in other parts of the work.

Piazzolla: Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinean composer also well known for his tango bands and his bandoneón playing. He studied composition with Ginastera and was awarded to study in Paris with Boulanger. He is perhaps most well known for his creation of the “tango nuevo,” which was initially disliked in Argentina but has gained more acceptance in recent years.

Tango: This term is used for a type of music and dance performed throughout Latin America. It has special meaning in Argentina, where it is “one of the most expressive and nationalistic symbols of the Argentine character” ("Tango," www.grovemusic.com). The founding elements of the tango are as disparate as the society that fostered them, thus a reflection of the highly international immigrant population of its capital city (and birthplace). Musically, it is a mixture of the gaucho tradition and African styles, such as the candombe, with heavy influences from the Cuban contradanza, which has a syncopated habanero rhythm.

Tango nuevo: Piazzolla’s tango includes “fugue, extreme chromaticism, dissonance, elements of jazz and, at times, expanded instrumentation” ("Tango," www.grovemusic.com). Because these elements were such an extreme departure from the traditional tango, the tango nuevo was denounced by members of the Vieja Guardia, including Jorge Luis Borges, one of Argentina’s most famous authors. The Old Guard was the first phase that the tango went through and so its members are the most traditionalist.

Nation: “A large aggregate of communities and individuals united by factors such as common descent, language, culture, history, or occupation of the same territory, so as to form a distinct people. Now also such a people forming a political state” (www.oed.com). According to this definition, a nation is not an exclusively political entity. In fact, just as long as the group of people that share common descent, language, etc. is large enough, it can be considered a nation, as in the case of Cataluña and País Vasco in Spain, among others. For this reason, we can talk about Buenos Aires having a national character, though it is not a political entity in itself.

Nationalism: “Advocacy of or support for the interests of one’s own nation, especially to the exclusion or detriment of other nations; advocacy of or support for national independence or self-determination” (www.oed.com). Nationalism plays an important role in nation-building, in itself relevant to the study of the tango and its role as a symbol of national identity. 

Territorial: “Of, belonging or relating to territory or land, or to the territory of any state, sovereign, or ruler” (www.oed.com). From this definition we can conclude that territorial means something that is inherent in the land by way of ownership. Something that is territorial comes from a particular geographic area. Thus the relationship between an Argentinean and Argentina is, among other things, a territorial one.

Territorialized: “To make territorial; to place upon a territorial basis; to associate with or restrict to a particular territory or district” (www.oed.com). This word, especially in contrast to “territorial,” means something that evokes that which comes from a particular region but is not necessarily native to the same.