DUO-B ~ POSTCARDS FROM SOUTH AMERICA

Infectious Rhythms: Argentine Tango and Brazilian Choro

“Postcards from South America” offers a journey through two iconic musical styles of Brazil and Argentina: choro and tango.  Choro originated in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s.  In a musical environment that was strongly influenced by African rhythms, choro music developed as Brazilian musicians gained exposure to European musical styles, including the polka.  The compositional structure usually has three parts played in rondo form (ABACA) with modulating keys. “Choro” means “cry” or “lament,” but the rhythms and melodies of the genre are generally vibrant and upbeat, shrugging off life’s misfortunes with good humor.

Tango selections from Ángel Villoldo, Carlos Gardel, and Astor Piazzolla on this program represent tango from its earliest days to the nuevo tango style of the late 20^th century.  Identified with passion and sensuality, tango music developed in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 1800s.  Characteristics include the tango rhythm, a 4/4 measure comprised of two dotted quarter notes followed by a quarter note, and the influence of regional folk music and European classical music.

“Por Una Cabeza,” written in 1935 by Carlos Gardel (1917–1935) and popularized in several Hollywood films, is one of the most iconic and well-known tangos.  The title comes from the Spanish phrase designating a narrowly won horse race, winning (or losing) “by a head.”  The song lyrics, written by Alfredo Le Pera, offer a tragic yet somewhat comedic sentiment, tallying the compulsions and losses of a horse-track gambler, including losing in love.  Carlos Gardel transformed from a folk singer into an international sensation of tango music, and helped the form gain a wider audience outside of Argentina.

Known as the “Father of Tango,” Ángel Villoldo (1861-1919) was born just south of Buenos Aires and worked was an actor, composer, lyricist, and singer.  The catchy melody and rhythm of his 1903 composition “El Choclo” (“The Corn Cob”) made it one of the most popular tangos in Argentina.  The piece was allegedly written in honor of a local nightclub owner, and given his nickname for a title.

Composed by Hirono Borter in 2020, “Tzigane Tango” is a work influenced by both the Argentinian tango and Brazilian choro, while simultaneously channeling the flair of Hungarian Romani music. Like the choro, the music of Eastern Europe shares the experience of informal public encounters while also being fluid in design, instrumentation, and purpose. At the outset, an iconic “gypsy-style” cadenza erupts from the violin, eventually turning to a melancholic descending passage influenced by the harmonic language of Astor Piazzolla. The traditional tango rhythm can be easily noticed throughout in the cello part and, while the violin melodies are still in a gypsy style, the listener might also notice motives more commonly associated with classic rock & roll (another large influence on Hirono). The middle section echoes a more traditional Brazilian choro: cheerful, happy, and light. The subsequent cello solo, which interrupts with a return of the gypsy theme, winds its way back and forth between gypsy and Latin melancholy, only to inevitably return to the opening tango statement.

Borter’s “Tango Nostalgia” (2021) is a work that draws inspiration largely from the nuevo tango style, with both harmonic and formal structures closely resembling Piazzolla’s own “modern” tango genre. The work opens by projecting both a sense of yearning and melancholy, depicting the image of one who left their heart in the past; exhausted with the brokenness of the present. It is as if one was desiring to escape a not unhappy, but complicated, reality, stuck between an idyllic past and an uncertain future. After a short cello solo, the middle section offers a brief flashback to an innocent childhood, of simpler and slower times, which warms the heart. These memories slowly dissolve as reality reimposes itself, recognizing that those memories, while beautiful, are figments. The passacaglia-like cello bass line is unrelenting as the improvisatory violin melody struggles to make sense of it all and find a way to go forward.

Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935) earned a living as a professional pianist, composer, and conductor at a time when Brazilian women were largely confined to domestic pursuits. She composed over 2,000 pieces, including 77 operettas, and her “Grupo Chiquinha Gonzaga” recorded numerous hit records.  In 1877, “Atraente” (“Attractive”) appeared as her first published work, designated as a polka.  The piece was enormously popular; fifteen editions were published the first year alone. Gonzaga’s sudden popularity was seen as a scandalous provocation by her family, who set out to destroy the music scores sold by boys on the streets.

“Brejeiro,” written in 1893 by Ernesto Júlio de Nazareth (1863-1934), is a charming piece and one of the most popular of what Nazareth called his “Brazilian tangos.” Written for solo piano, “Brejeiro” quickly became a favorite of brass bands and choro ensembles.  Nazareth was largely self-taught on the piano. He loved the music of Frederic Chopin, and Chopin’s influence can be heard alongside Brazilian rhythms in a bridge between classical and popular styles. The title “Brejeiro” means “flirtatious,” and this playful piece features syncopation reminiscent of a “cakewalk” in American ragtime, a musical form that was developing at the same time. “Odeon,” written in 1909, takes its title from the luxurious Odeon Cinema in Rio de Janeiro, where Nazareth worked as a pianist from 1920 until 1924.

“On my Way” (2022) is Hirono Borter‘s most recent work and incorporates traits from Brazilian folk traditions. Structurally, the work is closely related to the choro in its rondo form (ABACA) whereby the opening melodic material (stated in the cello part) returns both in the body of the work and at its conclusion. Similarly, the prevalent use of both dotted “skipping” rhythms and 16^th note passages gives the work its buoyant and forward-moving feeling. And while the compositional aspects of form and rhythm are borrowed from older traditions, the harmonies are more closely related to modern expressions of the style, influenced particularly by the works of Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the melodic lines employ a sense of freedom popularized by 20th-century writers of the genre.

Since this work, like all purely-instrumental genres, is absent of lyrics, the title “On my Way” is offered as one possible narrative to enjoy the musical arc of the piece. Those three simple words are communicated daily by many to notify loved ones of the conclusion of the workday and the upcoming commute home; the listener can envision a twilight stroll at the opening, with gentle golden rays of light warming up the world around us as we transit. The contrasting middle sections are highly dramatic, reflecting the liveliness of outdoor activities that accompany summer evenings: warm nights filled with families interacting, music-making, and perhaps an occasional burst of unexpected rain that sends everyone scurrying indoors for brief moments. The final return of the relaxed opening material reflects the slow winding-down of the day as, inevitably, energy is exhausted as we make way for rest.

“Tico-Tico no Fubá” is an infectious choro song composed by Zequinha de Abreu (1880-1935) in 1917. Its catchy syncopation and joyful virtuosity made it an enduring international hit, played by musicians as diverse as Carmen Miranda and the Grateful Dead. “Fubá” is a type of corn flour, and “tico-tico” is the name of a sparrow, producing the title “sparrow in the cornmeal.”  It’s not difficult to imagine a happy sparrow pecking and spraying cornmeal, or dancers on the dance floor twirling and hopping like happy sparrows.

The leading figure of late 20^th-century tango music was Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992).  Born near Buenos Aires and raised in New York, Piazzolla learned bandoneón and the tango style at an early age. He later studied classical composition with Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera and with the great French music teacher and composer Nadia Boulanger. “Chau Paris” (“Bye-bye, Paris”) was written after Piazzolla’s studies with Boulanger and was dedicated to Piazzolla’s friend who owned a record shop on the Rue du Louvre.

Piazzolla developed what became known as nuevo tango, which incorporated elements of jazz and modern classical music, including extended harmonies and dissonance, into tango.  He also introduced new instruments the ensemble including the flute, saxophone, electric guitar, and a full drum kit.  Biographers estimate that Piazzolla wrote around 3,000 pieces and recorded nearly 500.