Argentine music
The music of Argentina, due to its great territorial extension and its wide demographic diversity, is characterized by a considerable variety of its musical culture, standing out the tango, the music of folkloric projection, the "national" rock, the bolero, the romantic ballad, the cumbia, the quartet, electronic, as well as classical music and ballet.
Tango is a musical style and a dance born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, with international diffusion, whose greatest exponents are Carlos Gardel and Ástor Piazzolla. The dance highlights the worldwide success of Argentine Tango , created in 1983 by Claudio Segovia and Héctor Orezzoli, with dancers such as Juan Carlos Copes, María Nieves and Virulazo. Every year, the World Tango Dance Festival and Championship is held in Buenos Aires.
In Argentina, the so-called folk music or simply folklore, inspired by traditional rural genres, is widely disseminated. Argentine folk music has differentiated regional characteristics: genres such as chamamé and chamarrita predominate in coastal music; in southern Patagonian folklore, genres such as the milonga, the triumph and the malambo predominate; In Cuyano folklore the cueca and the tonada predominate; in the northern folklore the chacareras and the zambas predominate; and in the folklore of the Andean northwest, carnavalitos, sayas and taquiraris predominate. Among the performers and composers, Ariel Ramírez, Los Fronterizos, Los Chalchaleros, El Dúo Salteño, Atahualpa Yupanqui, Suma Paz, Mercedes Sosa, Ramona Galarza, Soledad Pastorutti and Los Nocheros are among the most important exponents of these genres. Among the various folk music gatherings, the Cosquín Festival in Córdoba and the Jujeño carnival stand out.
Argentine national rock has developed extensively since the late 1960s and has a strong influence on Ibero-American rock sung in Spanish, widely known throughout the continent. It has prominent exponents such as the founding groups Los Gatos, Almendra, Manal and Sui Generis, as well as Patricio Rey and his Redonditos de Ricota, Soda Stereo and musicians such as Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly García, Indio Solari and Gustavo Cerati. The most successful festivals today are Cosquín Rock and Quilmes Rock, held annually.
The bolero and the romantic ballad have performers and composers of South American fame such as Sandro de América, Los Cinco Latinos, Mario Clavell, Estela Raval, Chico Novarro, Vicentico, Patricia Sosa and Diego Torres. The cumbia, also called "movida tropical" or "bailanta", with a simpler rhythm than the original Colombian model, standing out in this genre Los Wawancó, Los Palmeras and Karina La Princesita. In the province of Córdoba the popularity of the quartet stands out.
Buenos Aires is the main one chosen for concerts by foreign artists when they tour, and is usually the scene of electronic music in Latin America, with important parties such as the South American Music Conference, the Creamfields which with its call of more than 60,000 people, became one of the most important in the world and the Ultra Music Festival Buenos Aires. The city, along with Mar del Plata and Bariloche, also have their own style of electronic music, with artists like Hernán Cattáneo and Fuerza Bruta.
Based at the National Conservatory of Music and the Teatro Colón, a solid school of classical music and dance has developed. In classical music, composers such as Alberto Ginastera and Pía Sebastiani, performers such as Martha Argerich and conductors such as Daniel Barenboim stand out. In classical dance, Jorge Donn, Norma Fontenla, José Neglia, Julio Bocca and Paloma Herrera stand out.
Among the unclassifiable creations of Argentine music, the work of María Elena Walsh stands out —oriented to a great extent, but not exclusively, at children— and the humorous-musical shows of the group Les Luthiers.
Music of the native peoples
The original peoples still preserve their music, although with little possibility of mass diffusion. The oral tradition of Chiriguanos, Chorotes, Mapuches, Pilagás, Tehuelches, Tobas, Wichíes –among other native communities– has been compiled with field work since 1931 by researchers from the National Institute of Musicology "Carlos Vega&# 3. 4;.
Folk music
Based on the musical styles of the original peoples and the contribution of those brought by the European (mainly Spanish) and African ethnic groups, from the Conquest of America, what is known as folk music was formed. Argentina, highlighting genres such as the vidala, the cat, the zamba, the chamamé, the chacarera, the carnavalito or the pericón. Many of these genres of Argentine folklore are regional and are shared with neighboring countries, influencing each other.
Based on these genres and dances of collective and anonymous creation, from the XX century, a current called originally as "native music", which from the 1940s became consolidated as one of the most successful styles of Argentine music. Some of the most outstanding artists throughout its history have been Atahualpa Yupanqui, Horacio Guarany, Margarita Palacios, Antonio Tormo, Mercedes Sosa, Los Chalchaleros, Ariel Ramírez, Suna Rocha, Luna Monti, Armando Tejada Gómez, Tránsito Cocomarola, Ángela Irene, Mariana Carrizo, Yamila Cafrune, Tarragó Ros, Ramona Galarza, Aimé Paine, Chango Farías Gómez, Linares Cardozo, Cuchi Leguizamón, Jaime Torres, Teresa Parodi, Daniel Tinte, Soledad Pastorutti and Abel Pintos, among many others. Recently, unconventional instruments such as saxophone, transverse flute, organ, keyboards and drums have been added to his interpretation, an innovation that is gradually gaining popularity.
Folk expressions and rhythms
Argentina offers in its territory, different characteristics in its lyrical and choreographic expressions, which often elude the provincial limits, formalizing in this way, areas that can be easily differentiated.
Northwest
Includes the northwestern provinces. In the northern ones, the altiplano continues through the Argentine puna and its influence is marked, especially in the aerophone instruments, which only change their names depending on the region or country; The charango, an American guitar par excellence, is also widely used. The baguala is accompanied with a box, being the most traditional, along with the carnival and the little carnivals. A little further south, in the Andean area, the Catamarcan vidalas and the Riojan chayas prevail. Although traditionally lyrical expressions have been soloists, the formation of four-voice ensembles, with three guitars and bass drum, and, recently, the incorporation of other non-conventional instruments have been imposed for a long time.
The zamba became the most widespread and the most chosen by performers, expanding throughout the country.
Littoral Region
Includes Mesopotamia (Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones, part of Chaco and Formosa and north of the province of Santa Fe). It is also noteworthy to the north, the influence of the popular expressions of Paraguay, this being one of the areas where the ancestral language has been maintained over time: Guarani. The Uruguay River transports from the Uruguayan interior -very similar to the Entre Ríos- the double rasguido or sobrepaso, which in the province of Entre Ríos becomes the chamarrita, the species that identifies it. but, in all the zone the chamamé prevails, especially in Corrientes; On the other hand, curiously, crossing the Uruguay, the south of Brazil offers more common points with the River Plate, although in the instruments there are similarities with the border area. In Misiones, the tradition of European colonies has made the chotis and new expressions like the kolomeika and, as a border rhythm, the gualambau fashionable. In any case, the strongest, in that order, are the chamamé, the 'rasguido doble', the 'chamarrita' and the 'valseado', although also the 'polka' and the 'gallops'.
The most traditional form of interpretation is the duo and the most widely used instruments are: the accordion (also on piano), the bandoneon, the guitar and, today almost in disuse, the Indian harp.
Center
It basically includes Santiago del Estero, the other area of the country where the language acquired only in the 15th century, Quichua, which maintains its validity, especially in Salavina and its entire surrounding area. The vidala in solo duo voices, has been gradually displaced by the chacareras (in all its forms), the 'gatos' and the 'hidden ones'. The zamba, slower than the 'salteña carpera', is also chosen in the repertoire of most performers, who choose to accompany themselves with the guitar and the most typical instruments of the region: the bass drum and the violin. The people of Cordoba, for their part, somewhat orphaned by regional expressions, have adopted the jota and the gato with the addition of "cordobesa" and "cordovan", respectively. Also, the serenade waltzes almost always evoke a not too distant past.
The 'malambo', an exclusively masculine choreographic expression, is presented individually or, on occasion, in 'counterpoint'. It is like the zamba, less tapping than in the north, but different from the southern version, where tapping does not exist.
Whose
El Cuyo encompasses the provinces of San Juan, Mendoza and San Luis. There are communication routes, through the mountains, with Chile. It is another of the areas where duet singing prevails, although the character of soloist has not been abandoned, especially by the tonaderas, interpreters of precisely the most widespread and representative species of the region: the tonada, a lyrical form that almost as an exception, it has no choreography. Along with her, the [cueca]], the cat and the waltzes are the most popular. The performers are accompanied by guitar, cuyano requinto (another kind of American guitar) and, each time to a lesser extent, by harp. The tune has in its final part, an improvisational stanza, almost dedicated to the owner of the house, or to whom one wants to honor. The cueca invites the traditional "aro, aro", an expression with which the singer is interrupted, in the second part of his interpretation, so that -after the drinks with which he is invited- he can start again the song.
One of the most important groups in the region is Los Trovadores de Cuyo.
Pampas
Commonly known as a southerner. Named in this way because of the projection that different popular forms have on both banks of the La Plata.
The territory includes the Buenos Aires humid pampas, the province of La Pampa, the south of Santa Fe, and the center and south of the province of Córdoba. The most traditional, still current, is the so-called 'counterpoint'. They do it through different regional rhythms, among which the milonga stands out; even when other species -which have already fallen into disuse- can be added, such as the pericón waltz, the figure and the triumph. All these rhythms are the most used by popular singers in the area; usually soloists, who accompany themselves on the guitar.
Patagonia
Includes the southern part of the country, from the Colorado River to the south. Many of the regional expressions have been taken from aboriginal rituals, especially from the Mapuche peoples, and others are local adaptations of other national rhythms, such as the Cordillerana dance, native to Cuyo.
Ritual dances, such as the 'loncomeo', the kaani, the chorrillera and the cordillerana, are accompanied by indigenous instruments, mainly from the Mapuche culture, such as the Trompe, the Trutruka, the Kultrun and, conventionally, Guitar. These genres are constantly evolving and re-discovering.
Many of these rhythms have been adopted by current composers, being recorded on records and presented at festivals in the country. The most famous Loncomeo is "Quimey Neuquén", with lyrics by Mlton Aguilar and music by Marcelo Berbel, which was also incorporated as a song for compulsory education in the Primary Level of the educational system of the Province of Neuquén.
Another notable musician for his extensive artistic production is Hugo Giménez Agüero. He was one of the most representative Patagonian artists and was in charge of keeping the Tehuelche musical culture alive, together with his colleague Oscar Giménez. He recorded more than 20 albums with his own compositions and adaptations of poetry and rhythms from southern Argentina.
First registrations
The ethnic music that nourishes Patagonian folklore began to disappear with the rapid advance of English explorations in southern Chile and Argentina at the end of the 19th century, but some records are still preserved. Between 1907 and 1908 Colonel C. Wellington Furlong carried out a scientific and ethnographic expedition to the Tierra del Fuego Islands. Throughout the islands, he managed to capture a great variety of songs from the Onan, the Yagans and the Alacalufes, together with more than 700 photographs, arrowheads, utensils and various tools, which were sent to various universities and museums. from the United States, England and Germany. The recordings of the songs, made on wax cylinders, were specially sent to the ethnomusicologist Erich M. von Hornbostel, who published his essays on them in 1936 under the title "Fuegian Songs" (Canciones Fueguinas), a work that was later translated into Spanish by the Chilean historian Eugenio Pereira Salas.
Tangos
Starting in 1860, with the incorporation of currents of European immigrants (mainly Italians and Spanish), their music was enriched. With his contribution, in the suburbs of Buenos Aires tango began to take shape in shantytowns and brothels. In early times it was performed with violin, guitar and flute, but around 1900 this was replaced by the bandoneon, brought by German immigrants.
There are usually three periods in the history of tango:
- Old Guard, from its origins to 1920.
- New Guard, from 1920 to 1955.
- New Tango, from 1955 onwards, led by Astor Piazzolla.
The following stand out in the Old Guard: El Negro Casimiro or Casimiro Alcorta and Ángel Villoldo.
In the first decades of the XX century, new tango artists or Guardia Nueva emerged, among them: Guillermo Barbieri, Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera, who on March 19, 1935 recorded Por una cabeza in New York City. Other tango singer-songwriters of the time were José María Aguilar Porrás and Ángel Domingo Riverol, the five singer-songwriters and musicians died on June 24, 1935 in a plane crash in Medellín.
Dance was an essential element for the dissemination of the genre and was developed on two sides: the happy, fast and lively rhythm; and the sad, sentimental and concentrated. In this second stage, the lyrics became important, to which each singer gave their personal stamp. Among the most prominent stood out Carlos Gardel, "el zorzal criollo", an unquestionable promoter of tango.
In the 1940s, with the contribution of musicians and poets from the interior, the soloists resorted to evocative, family, loving or testimonial themes.
National radio and cinema contributed notably to take tango to a period of splendor until the beginning of the 50s, with lyricists, singers and musicians of the stature of Osvaldo Pugliese, Francisco Canaro, Enrique Cadícamo, Aníbal Troilo, Horacio Salgán, Homero Manzi, Edmundo Rivero, Astor Piazzolla and the brothers Virgilio and Homero Expósito.
Between the 1960s and 1970s, popular preferences shifted towards other genres. However, the tango knew a moment of special fertility with modern variants such as those of the Sexteto Mayor, the Colángelo Quartet and especially with Astor Piazzolla.
The most traditional species will be preserved, although renewed with the contribution of personal interpreters such as Julio Sosa and Roberto Goyeneche; Among the most contemporary, Cacho Castaña and Adriana Varela can be highlighted.
As referents of the female gender we can recognize María Graña and Eladia Blázquez
Currently the genre has aroused the interest of the younger generations and composers have emerged who even cultivate electronic tango. One of its referents is the Bajofondo group (formerly known as Bajo Fondo Tango Club); of which the well-known and award-winning musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla is a part.
National rock
In the 1960s, Argentina was shaken musically by the "beatle" and some local groups proceeded to imitate them. However, there were talents that found their own expression. The sales success of the first national rock LP recorded by Los Gatos, realized that there was already an audience for the genre in the country and with Almendra (band) and Manal, the founding trilogy was configured at the beginning of the 70s. The Sui Géneris duo also belongs to this stage, which imposed its acoustic songs, today true classics.
The second moment is especially characterized because the genre becomes an urban space of resistance to dictatorial authoritarianism. La máquina de hacer pájaros, Serú Girán, León Gieco and the return of the founding groups are milestones of this stage that culminated in a strengthening of rock from the Falklands War (1982), when the military dictatorship prohibited the dissemination of music. in English. At the same time, new figures appeared that aroused great acceptance.
The return to democracy was accompanied by the return of musicians from exile or the emergence of groups that contributed a danceable style.
In the 1990s the genre encompassed various proposals: pure rock, pop, punk, heavy metal, rap. Currently, it has already incorporated ska, reggae and other species, with the thematic connotations that differentiate these aspects from each other.
Some representatives of Argentine rock are Charly García, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Gustavo Cerati, Patricio Rey, Pedro Aznar, Sandra Mihanovich, Hilda Lizarazu, Patricia Sosa, Celeste Carballo and Claudia Puyó.
Cumbia
National cumbia
Cumbia was introduced to the country in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. with the massive irruption of Bolivians and Peruvians with much simpler rhythms than in Colombia, their land of origin. However, in the decade of the 70' There was already an established rhythm in Argentina with the style of vallenato and guaracha that managed to mix these three and form the Argentine cumbia.
The group that is known as the pioneer of this musical genre due to its popularity is Los Palmeras, founded in 1969, followed by groups such as Los Wawancó, established in 1955, and also Los Bambacoa, created in 1962.
Between the 80' and 90' Cumbia groups were formed that promoted the momentum of cumbia in the country as well as in neighboring countries, these were La Nueva Luna, Los del Fuego, Amar Azul, Jambao, Ráfaga, Los Charros, among others.
Cumbia villera
From these the famous genre called cumbia villera was opened, with bands of great recognition in the mid-90's and early 2000s such as Damas Gratis, Pibes Chorros, Yerba Brava, Supermerk2, Flor de Piedra, Piola Vago, Mala Fama, Meta Guacha, La Base Musical, among others, which achieved great exposure in the most popular neighborhoods of Argentina, recounting the reality that was lived day by day at that time.
Despite the fact that the popularity of the genre had been lost at the beginning of the 2010s due to the incursion of new genres and separations of its groups, at the beginning of the 2020s the reproduction of this genre became more widespread.This music is usually synonymous with distraction or evasion, there is an even more lumpen aspect, with expressions, twists and jargon of its own, which tries to make a difference.
Quartet
The quartet, as an expression of popular culture, has had an important expansion in recent times, not only among the sectors with fewer resources, but also by members of the entire society in general in festive settings. A variety of the quartet, which is fused with the Dominican merengue, is the merenteto, widely heard in the Province of Córdoba.
The incursion of the quartet into the musical culture of Argentina was produced by the group Cuarteto Característico Leo, formed in 1943 by Leonor Marzano, who awakened a new sound in Colonia Las Pichanas in the Department of San Justo, from there everything was revolution and recognition for the musical genre native to Córdoba.
The most relevant quartet musicians throughout history are La Mona Jiménez, as a pioneer and influence of future artists, Rodrigo Bueno "El Potro" as a popularizer of the genre throughout the 90's, Walter Olmos, follower of the previous one, Ulises Bueno, brother of the quartet player Rodrigo who continued his legacy
Later, the group La K'onga appeared on the quartet scene, which resumed the quartet movement with great recognition in the late 2010s and early 2020s, together with Q' Madness, also consequent of the same.
Trap and reggaeton
The trap was presented to the country in a massive way at the end of 2016, first with singers like Duki, who in November 2016 would release his first single after winning the freestyle competition that was at its peak of popularity, El Quinto Escalón, competition created by current rapper and songwriter YSY A.
Later, the Argentine trap would become international thanks to Duki and his incorporation to the record label Mueva Records, where he would make his first highly relevant collaborations with Khea, Cazzu and the music producer Omar Varela, which would later have a remix with —the most important urban artist of that moment— Bad Bunny.
Other highly influential artists who ventured into the Argentine trap scene between the late 2010s and early 2020s are Paulo Londra, Trueno, Nicki Nicole, Neo Pistea, Khea, Lit Killah, María Becerra and the producer Bizarrap. Many of these artists also combined the trap genre with reggaeton, and this allowed the incursion of new sounds in current Argentine music.
The relevance of the movement among young people caused the massiveness and recognition of these artists, also youthful, and this led them to high-level collaborations with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Travis Barker, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, among others (in the case of Paulo Londra), Los Ángeles Azules, Camilo, Rauw Alejandro, among others (in the case of Nicki Nicole), YG, Bad Bunny, among others (in the case of Duki), J Balvin, J.I.D, Víctor Heredia (in the case of Trueno), and the most relevant and internationally recognized producer in the genre, Bizarrap, who collaborated with artists such as Shakira, Residente, Nicky Jam, among others.
Murga
The murga is another significant genre of urban culture, a strong expression of the popular sectors in carnivals. Its origin is uncertain, although it is part of the carnival tradition of excess and the liberation of bodies, refined with candombe (originated in the Río de la Plata and heritage of slaves brought from Africa). The last Argentine military dictatorship, in the mid-70's; He prohibited such festivities, but the neighborhood murgas survived and with the conquest of democracy they renewed their grace and verve.
Academic music
The Spanish conquest saw the entry of the first European musical instruments, while in the colonial period musical activity became more intense, thanks to the intervention of religious orders.
At the beginning of the XVIII century, education was fostered and the contribution of the old continent was intensified through the visit of musicians and the importation of sheet music and music books. In 1757 the first opera and comedy theater was built in Buenos Aires and in 1783 the Teatro de la Ranchería was inaugurated.
With the emancipatory movement of May, the patriotic song was renewed, highlighting figures such as Blas Parera.
They were followed by the so-called precursors, the first composers born on Argentine soil: Juan Pedro Esnaola, Amancio Alcorta and Juan Bautista Alberdi. They were not professionals but amateurs, who alternated their musical vocation with other activities. The genres in vogue were salon music, designed for dance, and song; as in Europe, chamber music was part of everyday life.
The next generation included musicians and professionals: they are those born between 1860 and 1875, whose most notable representatives include Alberto Williams, Julián Aguirre and Arturo Berutti.
This generation is followed by an outstanding group of musicians born between 1875 and 1890, who studied in Europe and when they returned they developed their activity as creators, teachers, founders of institutes or directors of musical societies. Their training led them to venture into all genres and to adopt a more conscious attitude towards folkloric collection. Among them are Felipe Boero, Ernesto Drangosch, Floro Ugarte and Carlos López Buchardo, director-founder in 1924 of the National Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts that today bears his name.
Starting in the late 20s, the irruption of neoclassical languages in Argentine cultured music took place, which meant the first appearance of an avant-garde that changed the course of the previous generation.
Argentine production in the 40s and 50s was in charge of the first graduates of the National Conservatory and on this stage, two musicians represented the two competing tendencies: Alberto Ginastera and Carlos Guastavino.
The early 1960s generated relevant experimental changes and Alicia Terzian, Guillermo Graetzer, Pompeyo Camps and Roberto García Morillo stood out.
Currently, Argentine creators who do not disdain instrumental exploration, electroacoustics, and the appropriation of new technologies, consolidate a musical trajectory that gives prestige to the country.
Argentine music in public domain
There are hundreds of Argentine music records and songs that belong to the public domain. All these discs can be freely digitized and shared on the network since they either do not have copyrights or they have expired. Most of these archives are tangos by authors such as: Carlos Gardel, Vicente Greco, Ángel Villoldo, Augusto Gentile, Manuel Jovés, José De Grandis, Samuel Castriota, Benjamín Alfonso Tagle Lara and Guillermo Barbieri.
Musical genres originating in Argentina
- Tango
- Zamba
- Quartet
- Chamamé
- Chacarera
- Carnival
- Chamarrita
- Malambo
- Milonga
- Literature music
- Trova rosarina
- Tonada.
- Missionary range
- Rock of Argentina
- Cumbia argentina
- Cumbia villera
- Cumbia santafesina
- Bloody bitch
- Calchaquismo
- RKT
- Vidala
- Baguala
- Cumbia pop
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