[Tango-L] Transition of Tango Music

[romerob@telusplanet.net]

Gregory wrote:

>In music history, the style changes when it reaches its climax, the highest
level of the composition and performance.  After Bach and Handel, who could
do better?  Composers decided, ³we will never get to this level; let¹s do
something different.² And after a few decades of transition, the Classical
Period began.  By the way, the romantic and simple sounds of sonatas by
Domenico Scarlatti will always be an example of counterpointed Baroque music
while the very complex sonatas by Mozart are an example of Classical, not
counterpointed music<

my 2 cents:

I think that the first wave of change for tango music occurred because of 
legal and economic reasons. There was an unsurpassed demand for tango music in 
the form of piano scores.

As far as I read and understood on tango music history, the style first 
changed when prostitution was legalized in 1910. Many tango composers who 
remained anonymous while composing and playing tangos in establishments of ill 
reputation came out and rode the gravy train of the commercialization of piano 
score industry. The year of 1910 is quite significant because it happened to 
be the year when the Cayengue style gained momentum in the neighborhood of La 
Boca, in Buenos Aires. Also, it was the year when in the highest production of 
piano scores was reached. It was an exciting time to be in the composing, and 
commercialization of piano scores. The business was doing so well that 
counterfeited piano scores competed with original ones forcing tango composers 
to sign their work, and avoid being plagiarized.

Not sure why there is not much said about the significance of law change on 
prostitution for tango. It appears to have created the right conditions for 
tango music to thrive without the prejudice of having it related to brothels, 
pimps, prostitutes, etc.

Bruno