Speaking of tango, you've definitely seen it in movies, and you've even skipped it yourself
The unique rhythm and pace of tango is often reminiscent of the fiery heat of South America.
Last Thursday marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Argentine composer Piazola, and you may have enjoyed a lot of classic tango music composed by him.
Piazzolla creatively integrated European classical music, American jazz and other styles into the dance music of tango, which was originally only a "lower Riba", and promoted tango to a highly artistic and ideological music, which he was also honored by Argentines as "the great Piazzolla".
What exactly does the word Tango mean?
How did the fiery and passionate tango come about?
How did it spread from the slums of Buenos Aires to Paris, the avant-garde capital of art, and then to the world?
To be precise, the word Tango is really confusing, and its meaning is as follows:
One says it comes from Latin, according to which the word Tango may have originated from Tangir, meaning "I play an instrument";
It is also said that tango comes from Africa. In parts of the United States and in the Canary Islands, tango means "black people gathered together and danced to drums." Tango is also the name given to this drum by some Africans.
For slaves brought to Argentina from congo, the Gulf of Guinea and southern Sudan, "tango" meant "enclosed space" or "private space that requires permission to enter." Slave traders also used the term to describe places where black slaves were held in Africa and the United States.
Whatever its origin, in the early days, the word "tango" most likely conveyed the meaning of "an enclosed space where people gathered to dance."
Nevertheless, the dance of tango is not closed, it is more of a fusion. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a fusion of cultures from Africa, Spain, Italy, Britain, France, Poland, Russia and even the world...
Known as the "River of Silver", the Río de la Plata is the natural dividing line between Argentina and Uruguay. In other words, in the 19th century, immigrants from different countries and cultural backgrounds flocked to it. Obviously, they came for wealth and profit.
But the dream of getting rich hasn't come true for many of them.
Instead, they had to survive in a land of crime and fornication. The depressed immigrants turned to music and dance in search of joy to distract themselves and reduce their inner loss and sorrow.
In many of the slum concert halls of the time, the fusion of immigrants and native Argentines formed a cultural melting pot, with polka, waltz, mazurca, Cuban habanera and Africa's Gondombe music blending together, and a new dance gradually formed, and filled the places such as bars, dance halls and brothels there.
The original tango music was played on guitar, harp, flute and sometimes on accordion. Later, a unique instrument from Germany called bandonue became the exclusive accompaniment instrument of tango, which was very similar to the accordion.
We know that when dancing tango, the dancer's body is close to the other party, and the female partner is guided by the male partner, and the different dance steps are alternated. Express your inner sorrow in a way that is full of sensory stimulation and passion.
Since the more and more immigrants gathered in the Río de La Plata river valley and the relatively small number of women, men had to dance in their own teams in order to attract women's eyes.
In the 19th century, the conservative upper class rejected the tango dance, which they considered barbaric and shameful. But by the beginning of the 20th century, the Argentines brought tango to Paris. In open France, tango gradually gained some enthusiastic fans. Soon after, the French began to dance the tango enthusiastically.
After being "modified", tango was gradually accepted in Europe and spread rapidly. Later, even the upper class was intoxicated. As a result, tango went from the slums of South America to the world and became a globally popular dance today.
Although tango has developed many different styles, they are all inseparable from a common spiritual core, that is, sensual enjoyment and passion.
The 1930s was the "golden age" of Argentina, which became one of the richest countries in South America, where art flourished and tango became the basic expression of Argentine culture.
In the 1950s, during political repression, tango was seen as a kind of rebellion because its lyrics began to express political views, which led to the banning of large dance performances and the forced going underground for both tango dance and music. During this period, thanks to the tour of Japan and other countries and the help of artists, the tango that was silent in Argentina was continued.
In the mid-1980s, a show called "Tango Argentina" was born in France, which completely revived tango from its slumber in Paris, and the show later toured the world, largely contributing to the revival of tango.
In 2009, UNESCO listed tango as a world "intangible cultural heritage".
The famous Argentine tango dancer Carlos Gavito once said: "I think those who say you can't tango if you are not Argentine are wrong." Tango is an immigrant music, so it has no citizenship. Its only passport is to feel. ”
Having said all that, let's revisit the classic tango clip in "Smell the Woman"
The music of Tango Sorrowful Tango is from the Ruiming music album Song of the Wanderer. Flamenco". The wind and dust travelers tell sad stories by the campfire at night, vowing to find their lost family and friends, no matter how much time passes, they will never forget their faces, and they will never forget the love they once gave themselves. The mournful and gloomy flamenco guitar plays a moving melody like a poem. Male singers indulge in singing lyrics like weeping, so that the past and the faces of loved ones are like a black-and-white movie, which is repeatedly screened in the mind, evoking deep and bitter thoughts. Later, with the addition of percussion instruments, the guitar strings changed from tender and soothing to simple and robust. The rapid and dynamic applause and the occasional faint cheers of men pushed the warm atmosphere of the performance scene to the climax. In this narrative song full of traditional gypsy style, experience the vicissitudes of the world's gathering and separation.
Song of the Wanderer. Flamenco
Gypsies who have drifted for millennia
With a free and uninhibited soul
Sing the legend of the fate of the turbulent exile