Guardia Vieja vs Golden Age - part 1

For quite some time already I wanted to write a post about terms that most of us have heard many times, but probably we don't always know what exactly they mean. Those terms are: Guardia Vieja, Guardia Nueva and La Época De Oro. Before writing more, once again I'd like to highlight that I'm am not an expert in the history of tango. My knowledge is based on some basic reading, talking to knowledgeable tango friends and mainly on listening!

While reading some texts about Guardia Vieja, Guardia Nueva and La Época De Oro, I came across several different, sometimes contradictory definitions. Some sources define Guardia Vieja (Old Guard) as the period in the history of Tango covering the years 1880 - 1920. Then comes Guardia Nueva (New Guard) and lasts from 1920 till 1960. La Época De Oro (Golden Age) is not mentioned at all. Even though this classification may be correct, from our perspective (21st century tango dancers and DJs) it does not seem to be very logical and useful.

Another definition cuts the history of tango music in the following way: Guardia Vieja 1880-1925, Guardia Nueva 1925-1935, La Época De Oro 1935 - 1955. This categorization is much closer to my heart and seems much more logical.

And how do I see it? The period before 1925, was the time when the music we are dancing today in milongas was being formed. It starts at the end of the XIX century with "payadores"- folk artists singing accompanied by a guitar. Later came the trios: a flute, a guitar and a violin. Later the bandoneon was added. The big revolution came when the piano replaced the guitar (both of them are string instruments). When I check my collection, I can hear the piano for the first time in recordings of Roberto Firpo's orchestra from 1919. And this was the moment when the tango music started reminding the music we all know today. During the next 5-6 years, the music did evolve further. Together with the music also technology improved. Around 1925 we are ready! The music has developed in a way that it is interesting for the dancers and the quality of the recordings allows us to use it in the milongas.

So the period before 1925 is very important in the history of tango, but it is not that important for us as dancers and DJs. The period between 1925 and 1935 is what I call Guardia Vieja. The music at that time is rhythmic and fairly simple. Most instruments play together and the same (a la parilla). The most important orchestras from this period are: Orquesta Tipica Victor, Adolfo Carabelli, Sexteto Carlos di Sarli and my favorite Francisco Canaro.

In 1935 we have a big change: Juan d'Arienzo arrives with his new style. Many of the existing orchestras change their styles (e.g. OTV, Carlos di Sarli, Fresedo) and other new, great orchestras are formed. This is the best period in the history of tango music and for that reason it is called Golden Age. The music becomes much more sophisticated. Instruments become much more independent (that makes dancing to that music so interesting, we can choose different instruments to dance to). This period lasts until approximately 1960. Around that time tango dancing lost its popularity in Buenos Aires. This is the moment when dance and music take different directions. To a big extent this change of direction can be linked to the genius and great tango musician: Astor Piazzolla.

So here we are: 

- before 1925: music not yet for dancing

- 1925 - 1935: Guardia Vieja period

- 1935 - 1960: Golden Age period

- after 1960: music not for dancing anymore

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that after 1960 there was no music recorded that can be used in milongas. Myself I do play occasionally some late d'Arienzo (instrumental, with Valdez or Ramos), late Pugliese (I love A Evaristo Carriego or La Mariposa), Calo (e.g. Que falta que me haces with Podesta). But those are rather exceptions.

In one of the coming posts I will focus more on Guardia Vieja and Golden Age period. I will share my experience as a dancer and as a DJ. For now check the song examples below...

Song examples:

Before 1925

Payador - Angel Villoldo, aprox. 1909

Payador - Gabino Ezeiza, 1913

Trio - Eduardo Arolas, approx. 1915

Trio - Juan Maglio "Pacho", 1912

Guardia Vieja (1925-1935)
La guinada, Orquesta Adolfo Carabelli, Instrumental
Ventarrón, Orquesta Típica Victor, Canta Alberto Gómez, 1933
Pipermint, Orquesta Francisco Canaro, Instrumental, 1931
Chau Pinela, Orquesta Carlos di Sarli (sexteto), Canta Ernesto Famá, 1930
Rosa Poneme Una Ventosa, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Hugo del Carril, 1935
Tinta Verde, Orquesta Osvaldo Fresedo, Instrumental, 1927 

Estoy Penando, Orquesta Típica Brunswick, Instrumental, 1931

Golden Age (1935-1960)

Rie Payaso, Orquesta Juan d'Arienzo, Canta Carlos Casares, 1940
Tus Palabras Y La Noche, Orquesta Carlos di Sarli, Canta Oscar Serpa, 1954
Un Crimen, Orquesta Miguel Caló, Canta Raúl Berón, 1942
Café Dominguez, Orquesta Angel d'Agostino, Instrumental with intro by Julián Centeya, 1955
En Esta Tarde Gris, Orquesta Aníbal Troilo, Canta Francisco Fiorentino, 1941
Sangre De Mi Sangre, Orquesta Rodolfo Biagi, Canta Hugo Duval, 1954
Tupungatina, Orquesta Osvaldo Pugliese, Instrumental, 1952
Nieblas De Riachuelo, Orquesta Osvaldo Fresedo, Canta Roberto Ray, 1937
Alhucena, Orquesta Lucio Demare, Canta Horacio Quintana, 1944

After 1960

Este Es El Rey, Orquesta Juan d'Arienzo, Instrumental, 1971
La Mariposa, Orquesta Osvaldo Pugliese, Instrumental, 1966 

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

MILONGAS

It has been a while since my last publication in this blog. The last weeks have been very busy but now the time has come to start writing again! Originally, I was going to write a post about the milongas of Edgardo Donato. When I thought about the introduction, I realized that the topic can be interesting enough for a stand-alone post. So here it comes... Donato's milongas will follow very soon.

It is always very difficult to make any classification of the tango music. Any "label-putting" carries some risks (there are always some exceptions, we simplify the topic too much, etc...). But still I believe it is wise to classify the music, as it helps us understand the basics and learn more about it. So here comes my classification of milongas... I split them into the following groups:

1) Guardia Vieja style milongas
2) Milongas of d'Arienzo
3) Golden Age milongas

This split might seem very simplistic to many of you. But there's quite some logic behind it and many implications for both dancing and DJ-ing.

1) Guardia Vieja style milongas are the oldest ones. The first song I use while DJ-ing dates back to 1932 (Milonga Sentimental of Adolfo Carabelli). The milongas in this group are very light and playful. In general they are very easy to dance (especially the slow ones). They are perfect for all events and dancers of all levels should appreciate them. In this category we will find the milongas of:

• Francisco Canaro (from 1930ies)
• Edgardo Donato
• Francisco Lomuto (most of them are really fast)
• Orquesta Típica Victor (there are only 2 frequently played songs)

2) Milongas of d'Arienzo. You might be surprised why I put the milongas of one orchestra in a separate category. I think those songs are distinctive enough to treat them separately. They are less playful than the previous ones. The rhythm is dominant, they are very dynamic. One could even say that they are a bit "aggressive". They are relatively difficult to dance.

3) Golden Age milongas. In the beginning of 1940ies the tango music changes significantly. This change did not spare milongas. After the playful and rhythmical milongas of  the 1930ies, the milongas of the 1940ies become much more melodic. This is the main characteristic of this period. In some songs the rhythm is hardly present (e.g. Zorzal by di Sarli). Those songs are generally sophisticated, very difficult to dance and mainly advanced dancers appreciate them. In this category we will find milongas of many orchestras. E.g.:

• Angel d'Agostino
• Aníbal Troilo
• Carlos di Sarli
• Miguel Caló
• Pedro Laurenz
• Ricardo Tanturi
• Rodolfo Biagi

Many dancers don't appreciate milongas from this category. I have heard several times comments such as: "this is bad, not danceable music" - that's obviously not the case. As a dancer, I'm not a big fan of Golden Age milongas, but I appreciate them and I know that it is valuable and important music (even if it is less playful and more difficult to dance). I think it would be great if the dancers knew tango music history and its evolution a little better. This would help them to understand and appreciate good tango music, despite their personal preference and dancing level.

Song examples:

1) Guardia Vieja style:

Ella es asi, Orchestra Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938 

Sácale Punta, Orquesta Edgardo Donato, Canta Horacio Lagos, 1938 

Milonga Sentimental, Orquesta Francisco Canaro, Canta Ernesto Famá, 1933

Reliquias Porteñas, Orquesta Francisco Canaro, Instrumental, 1938

Cacareando, Orquesta Típica Victor, Canta Carlos Lafuente, 1933 

Que Tiempo Aquel, Orquesta Francisco Lomuto, Canta Jorge Omar, 1938 

2) Milongas of d'Arienzo:

La Cicatriz, Orquesta Juan d'Arienzo, Canta Alberto Echagüe, 1939 

Estampa De Varón, Orquestra Juan d'Arienzo, Canta Alberto Echagüe, 1938 

De Ataño, Orquesta Juan d'Arienzo, Canta Alberto Echagüe, 1939 

3) Golden Age Milongas:

El Porteñito, Orquesta Angel d'Agostino, Canta Angel Vargas, 1943

Con Toda Voz Que Tengo, Orquesta Aníbal Troilo, Canta Francisco Fiorentino, 1941

Zorzal, Orquesta Carlos di Sarli, Canta Roberto Rufino, 1941

Milonga Que Peina Canas, Orquesta Miguel Caló, Canta Raul Berón, 1942

Milonga De Mis Amores, Orquesta Pedro Laurenz, Instrumental, 1944

Asi Es La Milonga, Orquesta Ricardo Tanturi, Canta Roberto Castillo, 1942

Flor De Monserrat / Pobre Negrito, Orquesta Rodolfo Biagi, Canta Alberto Amor, 1945

Tango DJ interviews

Today I have decided to write a post that will be completely different from the others. A few months ago SuperSabino, a great and popular DJ from Italy, came up with a very interesting initiative. He started interviewing tango DJs and the text of the interviews can be found at his blog:

http://supersabinotango.blogspot.hu/

Please visit the blog and read as much as you can. You will really find valuable comments that are interesting not only for tango DJs, but also for all the dancers.

I have been one of the interviewed DJs. If you are interested in reading my interview, you can check the following link:

http://supersabinotango.blogspot.hu/2012/10/konrad-krynski-i-think-that-in-every.html

All the DJs got the same set of questions. Four in particular attracted my attention :

1) Three orchestras that can not miss in one evening?
2) Your three favorite orchestras, which may also be different from the previous ones?
3) What are the three bands or singers you can not stand?
4) What is the band most underrated by the general public and which is the most overrated?

At the moment there are 28 interviews available. The DJs are from Argentina and Europe (mainly Italy, but many other countries are represented as well). I thought it could be interesting to put the ideas of those DJs together and see what is the outcome... So here are the results of my small analysis.

The question 1 and 2 were answered in the following way:

	Question 1	Question 2
D'Arienzo	89%	57%
Di Sarli	89%	54%
Troilo	39%	25%
Canaro	21%	32%
Biagi	21%	25%
Pugliese	21%	50%
Fresedo	18%	29%
Calo	4%	11%
D'Agostino	4%	4%
Tanturi	4%	7%
Laurenz	4%	14%
Demare	0%	4%
Lomuto	0%	7%
Garcia	0%	4%
OTV	0%	4%
Varela	0%	4%
Rodriguez	0%	7%
Piazzolla	0%	4%

Pretty much all DJs agree that d'Arienzo and di Sarli are by far the most important orchestras. There are 7 orchestras that clearly come ahead, when talking about must-have-in-milongas music.

There is quite a big difference between personal preferences of the DJs (question 2) and what they think should be played in milongas (question 1). It terms of personal preference, Pugliese is much more appreciated, whereas d'Arienzo and di Sarli are appreciated a bit less, but they are still on the top of the ranking.

When asked about orchestras and singers that the DJ's "can't stand" the first comment in many cases was that "can't stand" is "maybe too much". But still there were some names given...The "winner" in this category is.... Alfredo de Angelis - 10 DJs mentioned they don't like him (either in general or some particular parts of his recordings). I'm not a big fan of de Angelis myself and actually I have been challenged about it by some readers of my blog.. It looks like I'm not alone in my preferences:). The second place in "the least appreciated" category went to.... Héctor Varela. His name was mentioned by 7 DJs (surprisingly I´m not a big fan of Varela either :). The third place went to Enrique Rodriguez with 2 votes only... Other orchestras mentioned (by 1 DJ each) were Firpo, Villasboas, Francini-Pontier, Malerba, OTV, Sassone.

Concerning the over and under rated orchestras: There isn't a common agreement on this topic. Troilo and Pugliese seem to be underrated in the opinion of DJ 7 and 4 respectively. Overrated orchestras: Varela (no surprice - 5 DJs) and Canaro (5 DJs). Those were the only frequently repeating answers. Quite many DJs say that some "older" orchestras (Canaro, Donato, Orquesta Tipica Victor) are overrated and too frequently played, in Europe in particular.

I think that if we put the comments of those 28 DJs together we will gain a huge amount of tango knowledge and experience. Those people come from different countries, are of different age and have different tango background. However, they have similar preferences and tastes. I think that the results is an indicator of what is good, valuable tango music and also what is less important and not that good.

This does not absolutely mean that we need to go against our personal preferences! If one loves and gets inspired by the music of de Angelis and Varela - that's great! The most important is to enjoy the dance and feel the music deep inside.

Héctor Varela

Orchestra: Héctor Varela

Singers: Jorge Falcón, Argentino Ledesma, Rodolfo Lesica, Fernando Soler, Armando Laborde,  Instrumental

Period: 1950–1979

Héctor Varela has recorded a few hundreds of songs, but only very few titles (10-12) are known to the wider tango audience. Between 1939 and1949 Varela played in d'Arienzo's orchestra, so there's no surprise that his own orchestra was playing very rhythmically. At the same time many songs are dramatic and the singers are very prominent.

I really like Varela's milongas. They are quite difficult to dance, but their energy and humor (e.g. in case of Hazme Cu-Cu) are great! Several valses are very good and it is worth listening to them.

DJ Comment

I think Héctor Varela is an example of "tango fashion". He became very popular some years ago. One could hear a tanda of his music at every big festival. I feel that recently he is becoming a bit less popular, giving space to some other "in-fashion" orchestras (like currently Donato Racciatti).

I am not the biggest fan of Varela's music. But I know that many dancers love it, so I play it occasionally. If I do it, it's normally in a bigger place with high number of tangueros. In my opinion this music is not appropriate for  small, local milongas. If you play a tanda of Varela you may increase the volume a bit, so that people feel more energy and get carried away...

Song examples:

TANGOS

Fueron tres años, Canta Argentino Ledesma, 1956
Bailan Fabian Peralta - Lorena Ermocida
Diego Riemer - Mariana Dragone

Fumando Espero, Canta Argentino Ledesma, 1955

Muchacha, Canta Argentino Ledesma, 1956

Qué Tarde Que Has Venido, Canta Argentino Ledesma, 1956

VALSES

Una Lagrimita, Canta Jorge Falcón, 1973

Igual Que Dos Palomas, Cantan Argentino Ledesma, Rodolfo Lesica, 1953, Bailan Sebastian Jimenez Maria Ines Bogado

Gota de lluvia, Cantan Argentino Ledesma, Rodolfo Lesica, 1956, Bailan Sebastian Arce Mariana Montes

MILONGAS

Con Flauta Y Guitarra, Cantan Jorge Falcón, Fernando Soler, 1973
Con Flauta Y Guitarra, Cantan Armando Laborde, Rodolfo Lesica, 1973
Bailan Sebastian Arce - Mariana Montes

Haceme Cu-Cú, Cantan Jorge Falcón, Fernando Soler, 1973

Azúcar, Pimienta Y Sal, Cantan Jorge Falcón, Fernando Soler, 1973

Silueta Porteña, Canta Argentino Ledesma, 1956

Rodolfo Biagi - Valses

Orchestra: Rodolfo Biagi

Singers: Alberto Amor, Andres Falgas, Jorge Ortiz, Teófilo Ibáñez, Hugo Duval, Instrumental

Period: 1938–1956

Biagi is very highly ranked when it comes to his selection of valses. They are amongst my favorites. The variety of songs is quite high and many recordings are available on CDs (aprox. 22 ). We will find faster ones (in general recorded between 1938-1939) and slower ones (mostly later recordings). All of them have a very clear rhythm, but several songs (e.g. Paloma) are more melodic and softer than others.

DJ comment

You don’t risk anything by playing a tanda of Biagi valses in any milonga. They always work very well. The quality of the recordings is consistently very good which makes building tandas easier. For me most of the songs are great and I am happy to hear any of them. 

Song examples:

La Loca de Amor, Canta Teófilo Ibáñez, 1938

Amor y vals, Canta Alberto Lago, 1942
Bailan Chicho - Juana
Bailan Claudio Forte - Barbara Carpino
Bailan Mario Consiglieri - Anabella Diaz Hojman

Cuatro Palabras, Canta Jorge Ortiz, 1941
Bailan Fausto Carpino - Stephanie Fesneau
Bailan Alejandro Berón - Verónica Vazquez
Bailan Jaimes Freidgen - Mariana Dragone

Lágrimas y Sonrisas, Instrumental, 1941

Paloma, Canta Alberto Amor, 1945

Viejo Porton, Canta Teófilo Ibañez, 1938, Bailan Arce Montes
Bailan Gustavo Naveria - Giselle Anne
Bailan Sebastian Jiménez - María Inés Bogado
Bailan Ozgur Demir - Marina Marques
Bailan Nestor Ray - Silvina

Adoración, Cantan Hugo Duval, Carlos Heredia, 1951
Bailan Claudio Forte - Barbara Carpino
Bailan Thierry Le Cocq - Alessia Lyndin

Rodolfo Biagi - Overview

If you ask DJs or dancers to give an example of orchestras playing good, rhythmical music in most cases the first choice will be Juan d'Arienzo, the second Rodolfo Biagi. I think this is the correct answer, for Biagi to be just after d'Arienzo :). I love Biagi's music. When I hear any of his songs in a milonga, I immediately start searching for a partner to dance it :).

Biagi has worked with many famous musicians like Juan Maglio "Pacho", Carlos Gardel, Juan Canaro. In 1935 he joined the orchestra of Juan d'Arienzo. It was a very important moment. His integration to D'Arienzo's orchestra influenced his own musical future, and at the same time had an impact on d'Arienzo's style, which set a new direction for the tango music! Guardia Vieja period had finished, Golden Age had started. Biagi left d'Arienzo's orchestra in 1938 to set-up his own orchestra.


Amongst Biagi's recordings, one can find a wide and diverse selection of music. His tangos from the early period (1938 - 1945) are faster and very rhythmic. Later (1946 - 1962) they are still rhythmic, but slower and much more melodic. His valses are great and should not be missed in any tango event! My favorite ones are Viejo Portón and Paloma. As far as I know there are only 7 milongas available on CDs. But there are real pearls. One of them, possibly the best milonga of all times: Flor De Monserrat.

For more detailed biographical and discographical information please go to:
Todo Tango - Rodolfo Biagi

In the next post I will start from presenting Biagi's valses....