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Tango is among the most widespread world music genres nowadays, yet only partial information about its composing, arranging and performing elements and techniques has been documented and made available so far.
This research project has made a great contribution to the field of tango and popular music studies, unfolding tango’s main aspects through the oeuvre of relevant musicians, promoting its creative practice and expanding its artistic community. By disseminating new knowledge and making the implicit knowledge in scores and recordings explicit and ready for creative use by the greater artistic community, tango can be preserved, on one side; and reach new artistic horizons, securing its continuation as vivid, contemporary music, on the other.
The project had two research questions:
1. What are the main features and techniques of tango music composition, arrangement and performance?
2. How can musicians nowadays integrate these features and techniques into their practice to deepen their understanding and enhance their artistic creations and performances?
We used a mixed method design to answer the research questions and improve the Codarts tango curriculum. The mixed method design included the analysis of scores and recordings, literature reviews, interviews, masterclasses, observational studies and experimentation. This approach provided students with tools to enhance their creative practice. It also expanded the artistic community on the topic and bridged two top-notch institutions devoted to tango learning: Codarts and UNSAM (Argentina). During the second and last year of this project, some of the best tango musicians gave online lectures about their creative work. These sessions took place on Zoom, first only for Codarts students, later also for the greater artistic community, as they were live-streamed on the Facebook page 'Codarts Tango Department' for anyone around the globe willing to join. They were a great success and the very first sessions of this kind ever shared online. These activities continue and will continue in the future, as they are an excellent way to disseminate new knowledge, promote Codarts as a unique institution providing education on popular music and tango music proper and educating its students with the best tango musicians in the field. Our activities can be followed at https://www.facebook.com/Codarts-Tango-Department-110088680857527. The videos of the Zoom sessions with masters are still available online.
Despite the constraints of the pandemic, all project activities were conducted. Desk research activities, musical analysis and creative work were fulfilled with the group in live sessions and through Zoom. Performative work, which is mainly based on ensemble playing, was explored to its max and all group members succeeded in applying their findings and new knowledge to their own performances, arrangements and compositions. Above all, the main purpose of this research –fostering the creative practice of tango music– has proven to be a fruitful path. In regular discussions with the research group, students joining the project showed to be enthusiastic and able to share experiences, knowledge, material and to learn from experts, sources, experimentation and from each other. After the first year, a survey was conducted, which also confirmed the great impact of the project in the research group and as well provided useful feedback to improve the activities for the second year of the project. Reflection and discussion were present at all stages and revealed crucial pieces of information for the post-doc candidate to shape and re-shape the contents of the weekly sessions and to design a unique educational programme. The project had a major impact on the Codarts curriculum and therefore on the students and their creative output. This is illustrated by the fact that the weekly sessions developed during this post-doc project are currently the backbone of the Tango Department curriculum.
The biggest international event planned for April 2020 was postponed due to the pandemic. However, we were able to exchange knowledge via several activities. Firstly, two internationally acclaimed musicians currently teaching at UNSAM joined the project. Lisandro Baum visited Codarts in February 2020 for a concert lecture with students and the general public; and later Diego Schissi discussed through Zoom some of his best known compositions with the group members, who were also able to interview him about diverse aspects of music performance, arrangement and composition. These events continued then online with many top-notch tango creators presenting their work to Codarts students through Zoom sessions that were live-streamed for the general public. If we had organized an international event, only the participants of the event would have benefitted. Thanks to our new online approach, we have reached a greater audience by far. Thousands of viewers around the world watched our Zoom sessions.
Below follows further information, including the interweaving of education and research.
The planned research activities were completed and produced important pieces of knowledge and new artistic output, as students integrated the research findings into their own practice. The numerous features that have come to light through the analysis of arrangements, compositions and recordings were explored in terms of formal structure, melody, harmony, texture, rhythm and meter, relationship between melody and accompaniment, orchestration, variation and performance techniques, register, and timbral and percussive effects. The artistic concepts and theoretical foundations covered – alongside the set of analytical tools addressed – both establish tango’s relevance as vivid contemporary music as well as provide the students with means to further explore how tango is created, performed and transformed.
The artistic concepts and theoretical foundations covered provide tools for comprehending how tango is created while preserving its relevance as vivid contemporary music. This information – regarding techniques, processes and materials – established a detailed overview with which musicians can develop their own skills in arranging, composing and performing tango music. Furthermore, the set of analytical tools discussed during the sessions allows the continuation of a research practice that may shed additional light on the implicit artistic processes in tango music and popular music in general.
Tango is among the most widespread world music genres nowadays. However, only partial information about the elements and techniques of composing, arranging and performing tango has been documented and made available so far.
This research project aims at investigating tango’s main aspects in the oeuvre of relevant tango musicians, promoting its creative practice and expanding its artistic community. By making the implicit knowledge in scores and recordings explicit and ready for creative use by the greater artistic community, tango can be preserved, on one side; and musicians can experiment and reach new artistic horizons, securing its continuation and development as vivid, contemporary music, on the other.
The project has two research questions:
1. What are the main features and techniques of tango music composition, arrangement and performance?
2. How can musicians nowadays integrate these features and techniques into their practice to deepen their understanding and enhance their artistic creations and performances?
This research uses a mixed method design, including the analysis of scores and recordings, literature review, interviews, observational studies and experimentation. It expands the artistic community on the topic and bridges two top-notch institutions devoted to tango learning: Codarts and UNSAM (Argentina). The research also endeavours improvements in the Codarts curriculum as it complements and expands its educational programme by providing students with research tools to enhance their creative practice. Theoretical and artistic outcomes will be documented and disseminated in concerts, concert-lectures, papers, articles and a tailor-made website containing compositions, arrangements, videos, text, musical examples and annotated scores, so as to record: a) the musical materials and techniques found in the analysed scores and recordings, together with their applications in practice and performance; b) the artistic processes, reflections and production of the participants; c) information on how to create, arrange and perform tangos.