Classical Motifs in Tango

Tangoes inspired by or based on well known classical and folk Songs.

This list is work-in-progress. Thanks to contributors from DJTango listserv and Philly area dancers.   Please send your additions and corrections to DrTango@bucknell.edu, 

 

1.  La Melodia del Corazon by Edgardo Dinato is based on Chopin Opus 10 Etude 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIO8WAtvOgs) Horowitz on Piano

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=EOc2XUvNPbE&feature=related) Tango

Irish Tenor called Filber Wright sings the same piece under the song name "So Deep Is The Night".  Chopin Opus 10, Etude 3 is also used in "In mir kling ein Lied" and Tino Rossi's "Tristesse")

 

2.  Ojos Negros Que Fascinan (Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida) the closest
Russian Equivalent is Tschernye Glaza (Interpretation Pjotr Leschencko).
Intro of the Canaro song is the refrain of the Russian equivalent.

3.  Historia de Un Amor - Equivalent Bolero of the same name by Canaro.
This song was made popular not as a tango, but as a bolero

4.  La Zandunga (vals) - (F. Canaro, F. Lomuto) It is a synthesis of Mexican Spanish folk song.

5.  Danza Hungaria No 5. Enrique Rodriguez (Fox Trot Tempo). Is based on J. Brahms
Hungarian Dance #5.

6.  Mi Angelina - vals (Orquesta Tipica Victor) based on My Angeline by the American Composer Wayne Mabel.

 

7.  Ramona, sung as Tango by Carlos Gardel, Canaro, Fresedo etc. is based on American Composer Wayne Mabel’s song

8.  Juanita - vals (Jeannine) Composer Nat Shilkret - Also recorded by Luis
Armstrong.

9.  Tangos that have snippets of well know tunes :

            El Vals de los 15, (D'Arienzo) the "Happy Birthday" song and

            La Marcha Nupcial by Biagi has a passage of the Wedding March.

10.  Mi Refugio" had a melody line taken from Debussy's piano etude "Reverie",

 

11.  Vuelo del moscardon (Flight of the Bumble Bee) by Osmar Maderna's Orchestra.

12.  Sans souci by Miguel Calo ends with a phrase borrowed from Ira Gershwin.

13.  Carnaval borrows a line,"Donde vas con manton de Manila" from the Spanish zarzuela La verbena de la paloma.

 

14.  "La Sonambola" from Donizzetti (?) I'm not that sure..., tango by Angel D'Agostino, only instrumental.

 

15 The opening of "Vida Mia" sounds like the beginning of Bach's d minor Concerto for 2 Violins.

 

Thanks to Bob Barnes, Richard Lipkin, ManuKC, Joe Grohens, Ilene Marder, Gustavo Benzecry Saba, Maria Olivera, Carlos Vallejos and others.

 

Tango Tips - Musicality 101 - keeping the BEAT

Dancing to the beat is fundamental in all dances. Tango is an improvised dance and keeping the beat is indispensable. The leader has to interpret the music, and improvise moves that fit the musical rythm. Basically, that means you’ve got to come up with a way to keep time with the music. You need to know the beat or pulse of the music.

Once you know the beat, you can move or step at every beat of the music or at every other beat (dancing slow) or at the half beat (dancing fast). Beginners' steps can be basic movements, i.e. forward, backward, side, in-place and pause.

Traditional Tangoes of a 1930’s-40’s “Golden Age” composers, such as Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Canaro and Calo have very clear beats. It is easy to clap the beats of their music. Try it. Turn on some music and clap to the beat. Once you can clap these beats, the next thing to do is step to them. Do it in place – by yourself. You can start with either foot. Walk to the beat. Take steps to the left or right to the beat.

When you feel comfortable with this, grab your partner and move to the same beats with her. You lead, she follows. When that becomes easy, you can add a forward step now and then, or a side step, or a backward step – always returning to moving in place. Now try stepping at half and double beat. The goal of this timing exercise is to be able to move comfortably with your partner to all the beats of the music, using your entire basic vocabulary (forward, backward, side, in-place) for a whole song – without stopping.

Moving to all the beats in the music, and moving ONLY to beats, is one way to have “musicality” in your dance. It is this musicality that makes the dance beautiful. You can have an exquisite dance by just walking straight but stepping only on the beat.

Musicality is a complex and multilevel phenomenon. Here we examined its simplest form which is dancing to the beat. At the next level dancers can go beyond stepping to the beat. They can have their entire body move with the music, or they can move to different musical phrases or to the sounds of different instruments. And at the next level of musicality the dancers can dance as if they were one with the music, as if they were part of the Orchestra.