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Argentine Tango School

“La viruta” by Alfredo Gobbi y su Orquesta Típica, 1947.

“La viruta” by Alfredo Gobbi y su Orquesta Típica, 1947.

In 1910, Casa Tagini, dealership of Columbia Records, produced the first recordings of a formation dedicated exclusively to playing tangos.

Origin of the term “Orquesta Típica”

At the beginning of the 1900, the word “tango” was still considered inappropriate..

In 1910, Casa Tagini, a dealership of Columbia Records, produced the first recordings of a formation dedicated exclusively to playing tangos.

In need of an appropriated label for this formation, the term “Orquesta Típica Criolla” was born.

Vicente Greco (1888-1924), conductor and bandoneon player of this formation, is recognized, together with Francisco Canaro (1888-1964), who played violin in it, as the creators of this term, which will from this moment, characterize the orchestras conformed for the interpretation of Tango music.

As a composer, Vicente Greco knew to intertwine in his creations the rhythms and melodies of the “Criolla” music, of the traditions of a country populated by gauchos descendants of the Spanish colony, and the new sounds and idiosyncrasies arriving to Buenos Aires with the massive immigration of the end of 1800s.

Here is one of his beautiful compositions.

Read more about the History of Tango

Listen and buy:

  • Amazon music

  • iTunes music

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We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

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“Moneda de cobre” by Héctor Varela y su Orquesta Típica with Argentino Ledesma en vocals, 1953.

“Moneda de cobre” by Héctor Varela y su Orquesta Típica with Argentino Ledesma en vocals, 1953.

Carlos Viván, was a great composer of widespread Argentine Tangos.

Carlos Viván

Singer, actor, lyricist and composer (15 April 1903 – 16 July 1971)

He had a warm voice, within an alto-tenor range, as it was common then, plus a feature that made his voice unmistakable: his vibrato. Later, with a greater experience he was showcased in the United States and with the Julio De Caro orchestra between the years 1943 and 1944.

He worked with many orchestras, but he was essentially the refrain singer for Juan Maglio, recording around 150 renditions.

He was featured lead actor and singer in theater plays.

He was a great composer of widespread tangos. Among them: “Moneda de cobre”.

Read more about Carlos Viván at www.todotango.com

Ver este artículo en español

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More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

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“El huracán” by Edgardo Donato y su Orquesta Típica with Felix Gutiérrez in vocals, 1932.

“El huracán” by Edgardo Donato y su Orquesta Típica with Felix Gutiérrez in vocals, 1932.

Orquesta Edgardo Donato. Argentine Tango music.

Edgardo Donato

Violinist, leader and composer (14 April 1897 – 15 February 1963)

The orchestra of Edgardo Donato had a phrasing wrapped up in broader dynamics, where the showcasing of bandoneons and Donato’s frequent interventions as soloists was evidenced. 

The leader was a true example of the style developed by El Pibe Ernesto, that is to say, by Ernesto Ponzio. 

This description is completed with the musical gymnastics that Donato performed, together with his famous pizzicati.

Read more about Edgardo Donato at www.todotango.com

Listen and buy:

  • Amazon music

  • iTunes music

  • Spotify

We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

We have lots more music and history

How to dance to this music?

“Lunes” by Alfredo De Angelis y su Orquesta Típica with Carlos Dante in vocals, 1947 (with English translation of the lyrics).

“Lunes” by Alfredo De Angelis y su Orquesta Típica with Carlos Dante in vocals, 1947.

Lunes

Music: José Luis Padula. Lyrics: Francisco García Jiménez.

A professor digs his pocket
to see if a nickel is enough for a complete…
Yesterday – how sweet! -, the reliable information for a racing horse;
today -what vinegar! -, breaking the tickets…

The calendar announces us that it’s Monday,
that the good life is over,
a new week is coming full speed
with its low quality annoying program.

In direction to the workshop
Josefina goes.
In the milonga, yesterday,
she pretended being refined.
The Queen of the dancehall
yesterday she was called…
She came down from the throne
to go to work…

The tall Pantaleón
tie his cart,
in ugly suit
and espadrilles.
Yesterday in the Paddock
he played ten and ten…
Today he goes to load
coal to Dock 3.

Gone is the Sunday of pleasure!
Dancing, poker and champagne!
Even the poorest could be
for ten minutes a rich one.
The sad Monday peeped out,
my dreams went to hell
the good luck was cut short
and to work you have to go.

But what does it matter that in this cards game
today the almanac shows the Monday card on top?
If in that card we fell into the hole,
there is already a Sunday coming to take us out.
No evil, my friends, lasts a hundred years
and we will also get a piece of the cake…
Perhaps we hit the eight
and who stops you that day, sweetheart!…

More English translations of Argentine Tango lyrics

Letra original en castellano

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More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

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“El baile de los domingos” by Lucio Demare y su Orquesta Típica with Raúl Berón in vocals, 1943.

“El baile de los domingos” by Lucio Demare y su Orquesta Típica with Raúl Berón in vocals, 1943.

Lunfardo prohibido, fileteado plate.

Prohibition of a language

Lunfardo, slang of the Argentines

On October 14, 1943, under the military government, radio censorship began for tango lyrics written in Lunfardo.

These obligatory modifications in the radio broadcast of pages of the genre, caused the deformation of the lyrics and titles that, with the intention of moralizing, became a nonsense factory, duplicating the original lyrics.

This song was called originally “‘Bailongo’ de los domingos”.

Here is the Tanturi-Castillo rendition with the original title

Listen and buy:

  • Amazon music

  • iTunes music

  • Spotify

We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

  • Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
    You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
    The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

Ver este artículo en español

More Argentine Tango music selected for you:

We have lots more music and history

How to dance to this music?