MUSI242
Above: the original rhythm. Below: the new, syncopated rhythm
thirds (changed from the original melody
of Isn’t She Lovely to incorporate more
musical features of tango).
for example, La Cumparsita. The bass also
comes in quite early on, implementing the
traditionaI habafiera rhythm to underpin
this tango feel. This bassline, the most
common in the genre and possibly the most
universally known, is very similar to that of
Bizet’s Habafiera.
After the minor sections, the piece then
moves to a major section.Tango makes
keen use of the major and minor change to
further emphasise the sadness/longing in
the minor sections. One obvious example of
this is in Bizet’s Habafiera. While the similar
bass line (changing of the third note in the
sequence) ties the two sections together, the
sections have very similar features; the
melodica steps are small intervals, the
rhythm parts stay the same, the timbre is
the same, the harmony stays between the
major tonic and the major subdominant,
giving simply chord structure. This is all just
a form of tension and release to emphasise
the tension in the minor sections. The move
back to the minor section gives both release
(in the move back to the more recognisable
key) and tension (inherent in minor tonics
and minor dominants).
The claps then join in with a similar rhythm,
with louder claps on 1, 2+ and 4. This
slips up each bar into 3, 3 and two. This
is a traditional tango rhythm that can be
heard in most tango pieces, for example
in Caminita. This fast-paced rhythm
makes tango aggressively passionate and
also shows just one of tango’s uses of
syncopation. Syncopated rhythms can be
heard in every part of tango, mainly in the
melody instrument but also in little fills and
ornamented runs in the bandoneon, fiddle
and bass.
This syncopation allows tango to feel
much more complicated than its 4/4 time
signature, and lends itself to complex forms
of dance. The original rhythm of the melody
line puts most of its emphasis on the beat
and the melody flows around that, but
this version puts accent on the offbeat to
accentuate the syncop ation.
The piece starts with a free-time section,
using lots of rubato, played on the guitar.
This mimics the free-time sections often
heard in traditional and contemporary
tango, such as in El Dia que Me Quieras.
The fluidity of time in some sections gives
tango room to convey intense emotion and
passion. The sudden move to a solid and
structured tempo established the tango
setting.
Valentinuzzi says that tango without the
bandoneon as ‘its unique first actor... is
not conceivable’ (2015). In an attempt to
mimic the bandoneon (on account of it not
being a very commonly owned instrument)
this piece uses a melodica. The melodica
uses reeds and air pressure in a similar
way to the bandoneon (minus the bellows)
to create a similarly full, vibrating sound. By
creating two separate tracks, one for chords
and one for melody, it creates the sound
of the two sides/hands of the bandoneon.
This two-track approach gives the piece the
desired full texture and rich timbre.
Gonzalez describes the music as ‘dramatic,
fast, punctuated by sudden accent and
shrilI curls of violin and bandoneon’ (2013).
The melodica and guitar both play strong
chords on each beat of the bar, with an
anacrusis to the next bar to emphasis beat
four (another recognisable attribute of
tango), giving it a powerful driving rhythm.
This is seen in almost every tango song 17