Precursor to tango, milonga is a musical genre that originated in the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

areas of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and the Brazilian state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

. "Milonga is an excited habanera." The original habanera divided into four pulses, in a standard two-four where every note was stressed. In becoming milonga, though, all four notes turned strong, as tempo was doubled. The strength of the first beat weakened the fourth giving an almost waltz-like feel to milonga: one-two-three (four), one-two-three (four). Habanera is a slower, more explicit sounding ''one'', two, ''three''-four. At least one modern tango pianist believes the

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

influenced the speeding up of the milonga. Over time, dance steps and other musical influences were added, eventually contributing to the creation of

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 ...

Artists

Artists known for their milonga compositions and interpretations include

Roberto Firpo Roberto Firpo (May 10, 1884June 14, 1969) was an Argentine tango pianist, composer, and leader. Firpo was among the first innovators of the classic tango music genre. He was the establisher of the piano in the tango orchestra. Firpo was born ...

Angel D'Agostino Angel Domingo Emilio D’Agostino (25 May 1900 in Buenos Aires - 16 January 1991) was a piano player, composer and bandleader (tango musical genre) in Argentina during the golden age of tango. He was a member of the duo ''Los Dos Angeles'' with Ang ...

Pedro Maffia Pedro Mario Maffia (August 28, 1899 – October 16, 1967) was an Argentine tango bandoneonist, bandleader, composer and teacher, as well as starring in several tango films. Maffia had a hard upbringing; he was beaten with a chain by his fat ...

Pedro Laurenz Pedro Laurenz (born Pedro Blanco Acosta) was a bandoneon player, director and composer of Argentine tango music. He was born on October 10, 1902, and died on July 7, 1972. Pedro was born into a musical family in the La Boca neighbourhood of B ...

, Ángel Villoldo,

Francisco Canaro Francisco Canaro (November 26, 1888 – December 14, 1964) was a Uruguayan violinist and tango orchestra leader. Canaro was born in San José de Mayo, Uruguay, in 1888. His parents were Italian immigrants, and later, when he was less than 10 y ...

, Rodolfo Biagi,

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...

, Juan d'Arienzo,

Edgardo Donato Edgardo Donato (; April 14, 1897 – February 15, 1963) was a tango composer and orchestra leader, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, raised from a young age and musically trained in Montevideo, Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Rep ...

Gabino Ezeiza Gabino Ezeiza, nicknamed ''Negro''El negro Gabino Ez ...

Aníbal Troilo Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with ...

Lucio Demare Lucio Demare (1906–1974) was an Argentine composer who worked on a number of film scores.Finkielman p.231 He was the brother of the film director Lucas Demare, and scored several of his films. Selected filmography *''Prisoners of the Earth'' (1 ...

Domingo Federico Domingo Serafín Federico (4 June 1916, in Buenos Aires – 16 April 2000) was an Argentine bandoneon The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical inst ...

Angel Vargas In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

Mariano Mores Mariano Alberto Martínez (18 February 1918 13 April 2016), known professionally as Mariano Mores, was an Argentine tango composer and pianist. Biography Mariano Martínez was born in the San Telmo section of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1918. ...

Alfredo Zitarrosa Alfredo Zitarrosa (March 10, 1936 – January 17, 1989) was a Uruguayan singer-songwriter, poet and journalist. He specialized in Uruguayan and Argentinean folk genres such as zamba and milonga, and he became a chief figure in the ''nueva canci� ...

Francisco Lomuto Francisco Juan Lomuto (November 24, 1893 – December 23, 1950) was an Argentine Tango pianist, leader and composer who occasionally went by the pseudonym:, "Pancho Laguna". Lomuto was born in the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aire ...

Astor 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 ...

and

Carlos Di Sarli Carlos Di Sarli (January 7, 1903January 12, 1960) was an Argentine tango musician, orchestra leader, composer and pianist. Early years Carlos di Sarli was born at 511 Buenos Aires street (now Yrigoyen) in the city of Bahía Blanca, located i ...

. These artists are from the early years and the Golden era of tango.

Los Moonlights Los Moonlights is a rock band from Montevideo, Uruguay. Their debut album, ''Moonlights'', was their greatest commercial success. Formed in the 1960s, Los Moonlights disbanded in 1977. They reunited in 2015. History Formed at the end the 19 ...

released a song entitled "Milonga de pelo largo" (Milonga of long hair) on their debut LP, Moonlights. In

, ''milonga'' is an important regional genre and it is part of the repertoire of many

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

musical groups and interpreters. It also continues to influence other genres of the modern gaucho music.

José Cláudio Machado José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

's "Milonga Abaixo de Mau Tempo",

Renato Borghetti Renato Borghetti (born July 23, 1963 in Porto Alegre) is a Brazilian folk musician and composer. He works in many genres including traditional styles from his home state of Rio Grande do Sul, other styles of Brazilian music like samba, and in ...

's "Milonga para as Missões" and

Jayme Caetano Braun Jayme Guilherme Caetano Braun ( Bossoroca, January 30, 1924 – Porto Alegre, July 8, 1999) was a Brazilian folk musician, poet and composer . Jayme was the most famous payador of Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of t ...

's "Bochincho" are examples of the traditional rio-grandense form of ''milonga'', while Vitor Ramil's "Ramilonga" and Bebeto Alves's "Milonga Orientao" are examples of modern form of this genre. Argentine composer and pianist

Fernando Otero Fernando Otero (born 1 May 1972) is a Grammy-award-winning Argentine pianist, vocalist, and composer. His first contact with music was receiving vocal lessons from his mother Elsa Marval, an internationally acclaimed singer and actress. He start ...

has based many of his orchestral and chamber works on this rhythm, creating compositions for Symphonic Orchestra, String Quartet and Jazz Combos. Kevin Johansen is a modern Argentine rock artist who has a number of songs that combine folkloric and pop music with a milonga rhythm.

References

{{Music in Spanish Song forms Latin American music Argentine styles of music Uruguayan styles of music Tango in Argentina 19th-century music genres Tango in Uruguay

Artists

See also

References