''Histoire du Tango'' is one of the most famous compositions by

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...

, originally composed for flute and guitar in 1985 (published 1986). It is often played with different combinations, including violin or double bass substituted for the flute, and also harp or marimba substituted for the guitar. It was Piazzolla's life work to bring the tango from the bordellos and dance halls of Argentina into the concert halls of Europe and America. He is among the astonishingly varied group of composers who were enabled by the teaching of

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

to become more authentically themselves. Boulanger – doyenne of high European art – encouraged Piazzolla not to become another European-style composer, but to apply to the tango the lessons of his study with her. Piazzolla's ''Histoire du Tango'' is his only work for flute and guitar – the instruments associated with the first flowering of the form, in Buenos Aires in 1882. ''Histoire du Tango'' attempts to convey the history and evolution of the tango in four movements: Bordello 1900, Café 1930, Nightclub 1960, and Concert d'Aujourd'hui. Piazzolla provided program notes that expand on the individual movements:

Bordello, 1900: The tango originated in Buenos Aires in 1882. It was first played on the guitar and flute. Arrangements then came to include the piano, and later, the concertina. This music is full of grace and liveliness. It paints a picture of the good natured chatter of the French, Italian, and Spanish women who peopled those bordellos as they teased the policemen, thieves, sailors, and riffraff who came to see them. This is a high-spirited tango. Cafe, 1930: This is another age of the tango. People stopped dancing it as they did in 1900, preferring instead simply to listen to it. It became more musical, and more romantic. This tango has undergone total transformation: the movements are slower, with new and often melancholy harmonies. Tango orchestras come to consist of two violins, two concertinas, a piano, and a bass. The tango is sometimes sung as well. Night Club, 1960: This is a time of rapidly expanding international exchange, and the tango evolves again as Brazil and Argentina come together in Buenos Aires. The bossa nova and the new tango are moving to the same beat. Audiences rush to the night clubs to listen earnestly to the new tango. This marks a revolution and a profound alteration in some of the original tango forms. Modern-Day Concert: Certain concepts in tango music become intertwined with modern music. Bartok, Stravinsky, and other composers reminisce to the tune of tango music. This stoday’s tango, and the tango of the future as well.Piazzolla, Astor. Liner notes to ''Song & Dances of the Americas'' with Bonita Boyd (flute) and Nicholas Goluses (guitar), recorded at Red Creek Studio, Rochester, Spring and Summer 2009, compact disc.

References

{{italic title Compositions by Ástor Piazzolla 1986 compositions Compositions for flute Compositions for guitar