[Tango-L] What's the difference between a tango and a milonga?

[Neil Liveakos]

On 1/29/07, Neil Liveakos <neil.liveakos at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Jacob wrote:
> I have a more subtle question now, what the difference between a
> milonga and a candombe.
>
> The answer is drums.
>
>
>  On 1/29/07, Tom Stermitz <stermitz at tango.org> wrote:
> >
> >
> > On Jan 29, 2007, at 12:44 PM, Jeff Gaynor wrote:
> >
> > > Ming Mar wrote:
> > >
> > >> I pose this question to the musicians on this mailing
> > >> list.
> > >>
> > >> The difference isn't speed.  If it were, then all the
> > >> tangos that Roberto Firpo played became milongas.  (He
> > >> played them really fast.)  But nobody considers them
> > >> milongas.
> > >>
> > > Historically, as I understand it milonga came first and tango came out
> > > of slower milongas. There is a bit of blurriness in some of the older
> > > music and there are at least a couple where it is hard to tell
> > > which is
> > > which.
> >
> > No, this is commonly repeated misinformation.
> >
> > Prior to the 1900s existed a dance/music/rhythm called milonga, out
> > of which tango developed. Modern milongas are something very
> > different from that pre-tango milonga.
> >
> > Tangos of 1910 - 1920s have a march-like rhythm, and tempos that are
> > variable, but typically faster than the Golden Era. There was no
> > clear distinction between milongas and tangos.
> >
> > In the 1930s tangos slowed down and became rhythmically more
> > complicated. milongas sped up and had rhythms from candombe put into
> > them, sort of a nostalgia for the african tradition.
> >
> > Listen to the lyrics and you get some of the same nostalgia for the
> > african, which at times can be pretty stereotypical.
> >
> > For example, translate "La Mulateada" by Di Sarli....  "con la mulata
> > mas feder"
> >
> > Or translate the lyricas of "Alhucena" by Demare. They also refer to
> > africans inthe lyrics and the music uses an candombe-sounding rhythm
> > in a tango-like way.
> >
> >
> > Ever notice that a BMW engine is tuned to a candombe rhythm?
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Liveakos
> http://milonga.us




-- 
Neil Liveakos
http://milonga.us