The most known music tradition in Uruguay is the tango. Tango is very prominent in many South American countries and it is unknown of the origin of tango; the origin is from either Argentina or Uruguay. Tango was influenced by African and European immigrants, many African slaves brought this music with them to Uruguay. Tango was once the music for the poor immigrants in the slums; it was considered “dirty” and inappropriate for the upper-class citizens. Originally, women were not allowed to dance to tango, so men would dance with other men to practice. Starting in the 1920’s was when society changed and tango became socially acceptable instead of dirty. Today, when people think of tango, beautiful women, elegant dancers, and swift moving dancers come to mind. Tango started in the destitute area’s but quickly became well known all throughout Uruguay, and eventually grew to other countries as well. Since Argentina and Uruguay both believed that they invented tango, these countries wanted it to become an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The group of twenty-four people from the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted and agreed upon making tango an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Now, the culture of the music is protected through the UNESCO. Tango is usually composed of a handful of instruments: violin, flute, guitar, bandoneon, and voice. Many common songs are created with an ensemble called orquesta típica; in this ensemble, there are 2 bandoneons, 2 violins, flute, double bass, and a piano. These are all common instruments in America except for the bandoneon. The bandoneon is an aerophone and looks like an accordion. The bandoneon is played using both hands and pushing in and out while pressing buttons, the buttons are parallel, whereas accordion buttons are perpendicular; the sound is produced by the metal vibrations. The bandoneon was created in Germany by Heinrich Band, but expeditiously found the way to Uruguay and in tango music. The design of tango is very detailed and there are different parts that interlock with each other.
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Syncopation is the notes between the beats and is a main part of tango. The main syncopation of tango is called habanera. “One type of habanera is where the syncopation falls after the dotted 1/8th note (the very first note), on the 1/16th, the last of the group of four 1/16th notes on beat one. This gives a sense of drive, of moving forward. Habanera 2, “syncopa”. Here there’s an additional syncopation, playing on the second 1/16, in addition to the fourth like the habanera.” Most tango music has 2 or 3 sections; the sections are composed of 16 bars. These bars keep dividing and eventually get to 2 bar phrases. Question and answer phrasing or sometimes called call and response is bourgeois in tango music, different instruments will go back and forth with each other. Questions are typically more compassionate and sensitive. Following the question comes the answer which is discreet and tends to be hesitant. Minor key is the way most tangos start out; this makes the song sound serious. Question and answer in music help provide a steady flow in the music. Travelers to Uruguay would find the tango on the streets or at the milonga. A milonga is a place where tango is performed. At the milonga, people either dance or chat, there isn’t any hanging out on the dance floor. Each set is usually composed of three to four songs where dancing with the same dance partner is conventional. In between tango sets, the DJ will play non-tango music which tells their partner that the set is over and to go back and sit down. Even if someone can’t dance to the tango, milonga’s are a great place to socialize, just like a coffee house. Every year Uruguay has a Carnival, which can sometimes last up to forty days. During the Carnival there are many festivities ranging from parades, dancing performances, and music performances. Every year during the Carnival there are murgas, a murga was adopted from Spain and it is a street performance. Murga’s consist of music, comedy, and theatre; most neighborhoods have a group to compete so judges go around to each neighborhood and judge. Tango is a large component of the murga and
Syncopation is the notes between the beats and is a main part of tango. The main syncopation of tango is called habanera. “One type of habanera is where the syncopation falls after the dotted 1/8th note (the very first note), on the 1/16th, the last of the group of four 1/16th notes on beat one. This gives a sense of drive, of moving forward. Habanera 2, “syncopa”. Here there’s an additional syncopation, playing on the second 1/16, in addition to the fourth like the habanera.” Most tango music has 2 or 3 sections; the sections are composed of 16 bars. These bars keep dividing and eventually get to 2 bar phrases. Question and answer phrasing or sometimes called call and response is bourgeois in tango music, different instruments will go back and forth with each other. Questions are typically more compassionate and sensitive. Following the question comes the answer which is discreet and tends to be hesitant. Minor key is the way most tangos start out; this makes the song sound serious. Question and answer in music help provide a steady flow in the music. Travelers to Uruguay would find the tango on the streets or at the milonga. A milonga is a place where tango is performed. At the milonga, people either dance or chat, there isn’t any hanging out on the dance floor. Each set is usually composed of three to four songs where dancing with the same dance partner is conventional. In between tango sets, the DJ will play non-tango music which tells their partner that the set is over and to go back and sit down. Even if someone can’t dance to the tango, milonga’s are a great place to socialize, just like a coffee house. Every year Uruguay has a Carnival, which can sometimes last up to forty days. During the Carnival there are many festivities ranging from parades, dancing performances, and music performances. Every year during the Carnival there are murgas, a murga was adopted from Spain and it is a street performance. Murga’s consist of music, comedy, and theatre; most neighborhoods have a group to compete so judges go around to each neighborhood and judge. Tango is a large component of the murga and