TANGO IN EUROPE

As Argentine economy started to develop at a incredibly fast pace towards the end of the 19th century, the entire city of Buenos Aires was rebuilt and the small houses and narrow streets typical to the Spanish colonies were replaced by the large boulevards and ample parks copied after French models.

Argentina was at that time one of the 10 richest countries in the world and the wealthiest Argentineans traveled to Europe at least once a year. They gave lush parties in Paris and London, where they usually had expensive villas and estates and even generated a popular idiom - ‘rich as an Argentinean’. The tango, brought to Europe through such parties, suddenly became a European fashion.

Everyone would throw a party with Argentinean tango orchestras. The women fashion changed to adapt to tango. The swollen dresses gave way to others, lighter and sticking to the body lines.

Tango spread like wild fire and conquered Paris, London, Rome, Berlin and, across the ocean, New York and then it bounced back to Buenos Aires with winning sway in its stride.

BACK TO BUENOS AIRES – THE GOLDEN AGE OF TANGO

Accepted now in the Argentine society, the tango entered now what is usually referred to as the “golden age of tango”.

It was the singer Carlos Gardel, the golden voice of tango, who was partially responsible for transforming the tango into a respectable, popular and admired musical genre. Carlos Gardel was the superstar of tango – a star admired and listened to everywhere in the world. During this golden age, between 1935 and 1950 tango orchestras each developed their own musical style and the great tango composers gathered around them devoted orchestras that played the composer’s vision to the smallest detail. Orchestras such as Juan D’Arienzo (s. www.todotango.com) (El Rey del compás – the King of the Rhythm), Francisco Canaro (s. www.todotango.com), and Aníbal Troilo (s. www.todotango.com) played a crucial role in developing the sound of tango as we know it today.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF TANGO More >>