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the new is not born of nothing...
a short supplement to the debate about classics and contemporaries of tango.
for lovers of the old tango, we would like to point out that every musical development consists of the constant rapprochement and necessary distance to the old. when today's classics of the 'golden epoch', which were more of a socio-economic concept in those times, replaced the guardia vieja and conquered the musical terrain of the time, they broke with the ideas and traditions of the tango customary up to then. even though much of the lyrics and compositions of that time were lost, a celebrated and highly esteemed musician and composer like villoldo slowly fell into the sidelines with the emergence of new tendencies. the 'new tango' was played more slowly and instruments like flute and guitar were replaced by the piano and the increasingly popular bandoneon. of course, the way of dancing changed with the music.
music and dancing have changed a lot through the more than hundred years of tango history. who can and would like to dance today like in 1918. contemporary orchestras that interpret old tangos or play their own compositions sound different. they almost always play more dynamically. the sound corresponds to today's listening habits of electronically amplified music. generations of dance teachers* have developed the possibilities of dance parallel to music, choreographers for the stage, but also for the 'fussvolk' in the milongas worldwide. that's probably the decisive factor, the tango has become worldly, no longer a local phenomenon. it already found its way to europe in the twenties of the last century and in the constant oscillation between the most different musical cultures and traditions, it continues to develop...
rené j goffin