Edgardo Donato - Milongas

In my previous post I have written a little bit about the theory of the milongas and one possible way of categorizing them. Now it's time to get more into practice:). I'm quite sure that Donato's milongas are in the top 3 most frequently played milongas in Europe (with Canaro and d'Arienzo). The songs have a very warm and soft tone, which has probably quite a lot to do with the voice of Horacio Lagos and the use of the accordion.

The milongas of Donato are very playful and one never gets bored with them. Every time I hear  them, I immediately look for a partner to dance. While dancing, I always smile :). Very often I add some spice to the dance by doing some "extras" (e.g. special pause, change of level, etc...) - The music provides lots of opportunities to do them. Very often experienced followers who know the music well, expect those "extras" and to surprise them.... I don't do anything. It's a great game to play!

Amongst the songs you'll find quite a big variety in terms of speed. The slowest songs (El Torito, Papas Calientes or El Lengue) start with 80 bps. The medium speed songs are the most famous and popular ones (e.g. Ella Es Así or Porteña Linda). The fastest songs have really great energy: the most famous is surely La Milonga Que Faltaba.

Enjoy listening and .... dancing :)

Song examples:

Slow milongas:
El Torito, Instrumental , 1939
Papas Calientes, Instrumental, 1937
El Lengue, Instrumental , 1940

Medium speed milongas:
De Punta A Punta, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1939
Ella Es Así, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938
Porteña Linda, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1940
Sácale Punta, Canta Horacio Lagos, Randona, 1938

Fast milongas:
Campo Afuera, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1940
Milonga Que Faltaba, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938, Baila Loukas Balokas - Georgia Priskou
Repique Del Corazón, Cantan Horacio Lagos, Romeo Gavio, 1941

Edgardo Donato, Horacio Lagos

Orchestra: Edgardo Donato

Singer(s): Horacio Lagos

Period: 1935–1942

Comment:

As a dancer I love songs by Donato and Lagos. They are very rhythmic and easy to dance. When you listen carefully you will notice that the songs from early period are slightly different from the later ones. In my opinion the early songs are more playful and happier. The difference is not as clear as in case of di Sarli (1939-1941 vs 1942 and later), but I think there is something in it. Does it mean that the musicians were "growing up"? Let's see if we find similar examples from other orchestras later on...


DJ:

Edgardo Donato with Horacio Lagos: I think that most dancers love their songs and the dance floor is always pretty full.

I feel like I am repeating myself...I have written similar comments about most other orchestras and singers that have appeared in the blog so far. I can promise you that it will not continue forever. In some time I will start writing about less popular orchestras and more sophisticated songs.

If you want to finish your milonga and send the dancers home in good moods, Donato is one of the best choices for the last tanda...

Song examples:

Hay que acomodarse, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1935

Me Voy A Baraja, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1936
Bailan Alex Krebs - Luciana Valle
Bailan Fernando Sánchez - Ariadna Naveira

Se Va La Vida, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1936

Gato, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1937

El Adios, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938
Bailan Gustavo Naveira - Giselle Anne
Bailan Osvaldo - Coca
Bailan Dante Sanches - Angelica Avalos

Alas Rotas, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938

A Oscuras, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1941
Bailan Pablo Inza - Yamila Ivonne

Edgardo Donato - Overview

The time has come: Edgardo Donato. All tango dancers know many songs of this orchestra very well. Every time I can hear first few beats of any of Donato's song, I can feel some positive energy and I always want to go immediately to the dance floor.

The discography of Edgardo Donato is very rich, but what we usually hear in milongas covers only small part of it (some instrumentals and songs with Horacio Lagos, Lita Morales, Romeo Gaviolli). I will try to help you discover much more than the basics. But I will start with the most famous and the best part...


For detailed biographical and discographical information please go to:
Todo Tango - Edgardo Donato