MUS 250 Final Exam, set 2 (Tango)

choreology

the study of dance steps

choreometrics

• system for measuring types of movements (arm & leg motion, posture, use of space, group organization, step style, etc.)

  • Provides a method for comparing movement styles

pas de deux

extended duet between the female ballerina and lead male dancer

gender

describes characteristics associated w a particular sex

sexuality

describes behavior

the minuet = 18th century European dance; SIGNIFICANCE:

• regular phrasing & choreography (symmetrical, geometric) reflected ideal of order

• defined one as noble

  • formal dress & posture

  • required formal training

  • not a courtship ritual, pairs dance in order of rank

the waltz, 19th century; SIGNIFICANCE:

• middle-class

• dancers hold one another (shocking!)

• for courtship

• many couples all dance at the same time

But, it soon became a respectable upper-class dance

the tango, late 19th/early 20th century

• Argentina, slums of Buenos Aires

• dancers = lower class

  • compadrito - dress as urban gaucho, agressive steps towards woman

when was the Tango introduced in Europe? what did this cause?

• 1907, by Camille de Rhynal

• Popularity in Europe eventually gave it respectability in Argentina

when were sung tangos first heard

1910

when did the Argentine government close brothels (original site of tango)?

1919

when does tango become an important dance in upper-class theaters, music symbol of Argentina?

1930

standard tango steps:

drag, fan, swivel

LG61: La Cumparsita (Tango), SOUND:

• Recorded by orquesta tipica

• Early example of tango-romanza

  • ABACA

• Quadruple meter

  • characteristic long-short rhythm

  • Strong bass accent: 1 2 3 4

• Rubato, glissando

LG61: La Cumparsita (Tango), SETTING & PURPOSE:

• Recording: early 1930’s

• Venue: club, theater

• Purpose: dancing, listening

LG62: La Cumparsita

• Version of LG61 recorded in 1924 with lyrics added

• Includes solo violin countermelody

LG63: Adios Nonino (New Tango)

• Expands traditional tango form

  • More repetitions of themes than La Cumparsita

  • Habanera rhythms heard throughout

  • Influenced by Western classical music

    • Particularly sonata form - includes restatement and development

Bandoneón

• Button accordion used for tango

• “Squeeze box”

• Brought to Argentina by Germans, began to replace the guitar in tango ensembles

Button accordion

• buttons on left = bass, right = treble/melody

• significance: can play chords with both hands

• vibrato

accordion

• Developed in Europe in the early 1800s

• Popular due to its full sound, portability, and low cost

• Spread to all parts of the world due to immigration and colonization

compadrito

• male tango dancer

  • urban gaucho (cowboy)

  • Wears tight black suit and high-heeled shoes

bellows shaking

intense vibrato achieved on accordion

habanera rhythm

• Long-short rhythmic pattern, common in tango

• Long beat followed by one that is half its duration

step (or figure)

• Standard motions in tango

  • Occur within the rhythmic patterns and circular motion of the dance

orquesta tipica

• Ensemble that accompanies tango

• Bandoneons, strings (violins, cello, bass), and piano

Gaucho

• “cowboy”

  • Rural Argentina

tango song

Early tango songs were played in the cafes and bordellos of the slums of Buenos Aires

organitos

organ grinders

• Played tangos throughout the streets of the arrabal

milonga

Argentine government closed brothels in 1919, so Argentinians gathered at these events which featured music, verbal improv, and dancing

New Tango

• Created by Astor Piazolla

• Intended for concert hall, not for dancing

• More complex

tango-romanza

ABACA form