Orquesta Típica Ángel D'AgostinoThe elegant minimalism of the two angels
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Stilelegant, melodic, restrained typicallairy, light, calm |
Biggest hitsAdiós arrabal (1941) La nueva vecina (1945) |
Important singerÁngel Vargas |
important musicianPiano ÀngelD'Agostino Bandoneon: Alfredo Attadia, Eduado del Piano Violin: Alberto de Bagno |
The elegant minimalism of the two angels
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No AflojésFernando Sanchez - Ariadna Naveira -Florenz - 2019
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D'Agostino's music lives from the restraint, from reduction. The musicians, alltogether masters of understatement, subtly phrase - with a minimum of instrumentation - all the emotions and stories contained in the three-minute tango mini-operas without ever forgetting the dancers. The music often has a fleeting quality because of its airy texture. Overall, the melodic dominates, the rhythm seemingly emerging incidentally, but the compás never stops, it's always implied, hidden in some corner of the arrangement. D'Agostino who was one of the few orchestra leaders who was passionate about dancing himself, he really knew what dancers wanted. Nothing seems unintentional or without function; everything contributes to the progress of the musical story. This creates a restrained power with often surprising depth. Part of the restraint is also the lack of pronounced solos. Dominant variaciones don't really fit into this very relaxed musical concept. Typical of D'Agostino's arrangements is a particularly pronounced question-and-answer technique that builds, among other things, on the restrained piano playing of the master himself. After all, the airy sound of the orchestra is created precisely by the fact that D'Agostino, unlike many other tango pianists, almost completely refrains from building up a massive beat with chords or powerfully struck notes of the lower registers in the bass. Instead, he restricts himself to responding to violin or bandoneon motifs with short, glittering interjections or to setting small accents in the brief pauses between phrases. But also the violins and bandoneons often stay in small mini-dialogues with each other. Probably because of this, one sometimes gets the feeling that this music speaks directly to us. And the intimacy of this music naturally carries over to the embrace. A musical familyD'Agostino grew up in a wealthy family. His father already excelled as a classical pianist, and his son also enjoyed excellent training on the piano. He was soon considered a prodigy of the keys, and the families of high society recommended him to one another. Performances in the palatial salon of the super-aristocrat Martín Saturnino Unzué, who gave his fiancée a city palace as a wedding present that even European monarchs would not have been ashamed of, established D'Agostino's lifelong connection to high society. The young musical genius dropped out of school at an early age to devote himself entirely to music, and increasingly to tango. Rather as an anecdote one must probably classify appearances of the twelve-year-old with a trio in the neighborhood. The violin, by the way, was played by another famous member of tango history, Juan D'Arienzo. Shortly after 1920 we find D'Agostino in an orchestra that played both tango and jazz, ragtime and the like. He was active in the twenties with various formations, especially in theaters and silent movie theaters. At times he even had a contract to perform in the Palais de Glace, the legendary upperclass entertainment temple. His own orchestra, founded in 1934, finally won him an engagement in the famous Cabaret Chantecler in 1936, but it was not until 1940 that D'Agostino reached tango music heaven with a contract with RCA Victor. Until 1947, he made 106 recordings. From 1951 to 1962, D'Agostino teamed up with singers Rubén Cané and Tino García, as well as bandoneon player and arranger Máximo Mori, and once again put together an orchestra. Most of these three dozen recordings, however, do not convince todays taste as they the violins are too dominate. |
D'Agostino privateAs one of the very few orchestra leaders, D'Agostino himself danced passionately in the salons and cabarets of the city. This is certainly one of the reasons why his music always focusses on the dancers.
A true porteño, D'Agostino never once left his hometown despite good offers. Unlike many other orchestras they refrained from touring the provinces or South American countries. In 1962 D'Agostino ended his musical career, but not his passion for nightlife. He died in Buenos Aires on January 16, 1991.
The Orquesta TípicaMiguel Caló's orchestra was nicknamed The Orchestra of Stars. But D'Agostino's formations also deserved this title, because numerous musicians from his ranks later founded their own orchestras and played a major role in shaping the tango culture of the next decades. In addition to outstanding bandoneon players such as the communist Ismael Spitalnik or Maxímo Mori and masters of the violin, above all Bernardo Weber and Victor Braña - both of whom were later part of the outstanding violin sections with Alfredo de Angelis and Fulvio Salamanca - three musicians stand out in particular: Alfredo Attadía (1914-1982)Since 1939, as first bandoneon and arranger in close collaboration with D'Agostino, he shaped the orchestra's restrained style and composed some of the very big hits such as Tres esquinas, El Yacaré, or Entre copa y copa. He left D'Agostino in mid-1943 and, together with the singer Ángel Vargas, sought his fortune on the other side of the Río de la Plata in Montevideo. But the angelic voice soon returned to Buenos Aires to continue the dream team with D'Agostino. Attadía more or less successfully led orchestras less known today and accompanied singing stars such as Armando Moreno or the characteristic gigolo voice of Enzo Valentino, with whom he recorded his superhit Cualquier cosa. However, after the fall of Perón in 1955, Attadía had to leave Argentina. Many tangueros were Peronists, but Attadía even composed the march Peronista in honor of the general, and, with singer Héctor Pacheco, a tango called Descamisado. This propaganda term, coined by Evita, stood for the poorest of Argentina's poor, who had even been stripped of their last shirt. Attadía found asylum in Caracas/Venezuela from 1955 until his death in 1982.
Eduardo del PianoAfter the loss of Attadía and numerous other musicians in 1943, D'Agostino quickly set up a new orchestra. At its center was the arranger and virtuoso bandoneon player Eduardo del Piano. This restless spirit shaped the sound of more than 20 orchestras in his lifetime, led different formations, and became - yes, this really existed - president of the Association of Argentine Bandoneon Players; honorary president, by the way, later was Ástor Piazzolla. Like many other second-tier musicians, he tried to supplement his income with compositions, the most successful being the wonderful D'Agostino/Vargas hit Esta noche en Buenos Aires (1944).
D'Agostino does not seem to have been a good employer, because the new orchestra also lasted only three years. Faced with dwindling success, the musicians' problems grew with their boss, who loved the life of a bohemian. In 1946, Del Piano and most of the musicians left the great master of elegance. Alberto de BagnoFrom 1943 to 1945, Alberto de Bagno threw the airy melodic lines, the precise pizzicati or the dynamically elegant pulsating violin interjections like implied sketches into the filigree mesh of the restrained sound texture of this orchestra. De corte criollo (1945), one of the few instrumental pieces, thrives on the subtle virtuoso musicality of the orchestra members of those years. His outstanding musical quality is reflected in the fact that over the next decades he played first violin in orchestras ranging from Armando Pontier to Astor Piazzolla to the Sexteto Mayor, or accompanied opera star Placido Domingo. For decades he was a member of the regular orchestras of Radio Splendid and the TV station Canal 9 as well as of the legendary TV series Los Valores del Tango and was still on stage when the tango had its renaissance in the eighties. |
Ángel VargasEl Ruiseñor (=Nightingale), as he is nicknamed, is certainly one of the greatest voices in tango. All critics agree that his crystal-clear, sweetly phrased angelic singing is the most important element for the orchestra's success. Quite unlike D'Agostino, Vargas was the child of a poor working-class family. He worked in La Negra, one of the gigantic meat factories near the docks at the mouth of the Rayuela River in the immigrant neighborhood of La Boca. Already in the factory, the natural talent sweetened his comrades' existence with his wonderful singing, but it wasn't until he was in his mid-twenties that he tried a new start as a singer. However, at that time, in the early thirties, the situation of musicians was quite difficult. In order to survive, the angel with the bell voice hired out to several orchestras at the same time. In 1934 he met D'Agostino at one of the gigs. We can hear his voice on shellac for the first time on the three recordings made in 1938 for the Orquesta Típica Victor, including the beautiful tango Adiós Buenos Aires or the wonderful Vals Sin rumbo fijo.
Finally, in 1940, Vargas found the perfect musical home for his voice, the sparingly restrained sounds of D'Agostino. Vargas voice combines masculinity and sensitivity in a wonderful way, so that the lyrics, which is also a special feature of this singer, are as fine and crystal clear in space as the melody lines of the musicians. The rest is tango history. In the fall of 1946, after 93 recordings together, Vargas separated and started his successful solo career. However, he received his nickname El Ruiseñor de las calles porteñas only after the separation. It was the presenter Raúl Astor who gave him this title during his first appearance as a solo singer. |
Adiós Buenos Aires - OTV (1938)
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Date |
Title |
Genre |
Singer |
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13.11.40 |
No aflojés |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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13.11.40 |
Muchacho |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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24.07.41 |
Un copetín |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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24.07.41 |
Tres esquinas |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.09.41 |
Ahora no me conocés |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.09.41 |
Adiós arrabal |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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20.10.41 |
Sólo compasión |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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20.10.41 |
Compadreando |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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05.11.41 |
Una pena |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.11.41 |
Traiga otra caña |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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13.11.41 |
El choclo |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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13.11.41 |
Agua florida |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.12.41 |
Qué me pasará |
Vals |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.12.41 |
El yacaré |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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1942 |
El cuarteador |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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16.03.42 |
Notas de bandoneón |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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16.03.42 |
Adiós para siempre |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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07.04.42 |
Viejo coche |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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07.04.42 |
Pobre gallo bataraz |
Estilo |
Ángel Vargas |
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07.04.42 |
Gorriones |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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23.04.42 |
Un tropezón |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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23.04.42 |
Entre copa y copa |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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22.05.42 |
Esquinas porteñas |
Vals |
Ángel Vargas |
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22.05.42 |
Dice un refrán |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.06.42 |
Guitarra que llora |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.06.42 |
Trasnochando |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.07.42 |
Un lamento |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.07.42 |
Al volverte a ver |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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11.08.42 |
Gil a rayas |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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02.09.42 |
Hay que vivirla…compadre! |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.09.42 |
Pero…yo sé |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.10.42 |
De salto y carta |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.10.42 |
La chiflada |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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29.10.42 |
Noviecita mía |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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29.10.42 |
Oiga mozo |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.11.42 |
Llora vida mía |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.11.42 |
Así me gusta a mí |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.11.42 |
Yo tengo una novia |
Vals |
Ángel Vargas |
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14.12.42 |
Todo terminó |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.12.42 |
Ninguna |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.12.42 |
Barrio de tango |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.03.43 |
El trece |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.03.43 |
En lo de Laura |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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20.03.43 |
No creas |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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23.03.43 |
El Porteñito |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.04.43 |
Madre hay una sola |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.04.43 |
Me llaman tango |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.06.43 |
El trompito |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.06.43 |
Tomo y obligo |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.08.43 |
A las siete en el café |
Tango |
Raúl Aldao |
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10.08.43 |
Ronda de tango |
Tango |
Raúl Aldao |
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10.08.43 |
Y te dejé partir |
Tango |
Raúl Aldao |
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09.09.43 |
Un tango argentino |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.09.43 |
Cardo azul |
Estilo |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.09.43 |
Qué lento corre el tren |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.11.43 |
La carreta |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.11.43 |
Cantando olvidaré |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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15.11.43 |
El cornetín del tranvía |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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05.12.43 |
Gran muñeca |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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05.12.43 |
De pura cepa |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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31.01.44 |
Quién tuviera dieciocho años |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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31.01.44 |
Esta noche en Buenos Aires |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.03.44 |
El espejo de tus ojos |
Vals |
Ángel Vargas |
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09.03.44 |
Mano blanca |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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05.04.44 |
Así era el tango |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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05.04.44 |
Más solo que nunca |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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05.04.44 |
Como el hornero |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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26.05.44 |
Su carta no llegó |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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25.05.44 |
El poncho del olvido |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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19.07.44 |
Muñequita |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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19.07.44 |
Todos te quieren |
Milonga |
Instrumental |
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08.08.44 |
Mi viejo barrio |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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08.08.44 |
La última cita |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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13.09.44 |
La nueva vecina |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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13.09.44 |
Palais de Glace |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.44 |
Rosita la santiagueña |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.12.42 |
Ninguna |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.12.42 |
Barrio de tango |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.03.43 |
El trece |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.03.43 |
En lo de Laura |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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20.03.43 |
No creas |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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23.03.43 |
El Porteñito |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.04.43 |
Madre hay una sola |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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30.04.43 |
Me llaman tango |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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21.05.45 |
Gran Hotel Victoria (Hotel Victoria) |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Porque me siento feliz |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Menta y cedrón |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Caricias |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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07.08.45 |
A quién le puede importar? |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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27.08.45 |
Bailarín de contraseña |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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27.08.45 |
Pinta blanca |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.10.45 |
A pan y agua |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.10.45 |
Tristeza criolla |
Vals |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.45 |
De igual a igual |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.45 |
Rondando tu esquina |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.45 |
No vendrá |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.45 |
Ave de paso |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.11.45 |
La cumparsita |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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08.02.46 |
Serpentinas de esperanza |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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29.03.46 |
Racing Club |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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29.03.46 |
Destellos |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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12.07.46 |
Con sabor a tango |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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12.07.46 |
El Morocho y el Oriental |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.09.46 |
Demasiado tarde |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.09.46 |
Camino del Tucumán |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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10.06.47 |
Alma de bohemio |
Tango |
Tino García |
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10.06.47 |
Era en otro Buenos Aires |
Tango |
Tino García |
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18.12.51 |
El trece |
Tango |
Tino García |
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18.12.51 |
Carnavales de mi vida (Mosca muerta) |
Tango |
Tino García |
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24.01.52 |
Bailarín compadrito |
Tango |
Tino García |
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24.01.52 |
Mi distinguida pebeta |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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21.05.45 |
Gran Hotel Victoria (Hotel Victoria) |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Porque me siento feliz |
Milonga |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Menta y cedrón |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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17.07.45 |
Caricias |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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07.08.45 |
A quién le puede importar? |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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27.08.45 |
Bailarín de contraseña |
Tango |
Ángel Vargas |
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02.02.53 |
Cascabelito |
Tango |
Ricardo Ruíz |
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02.02.53 |
Esquinas porteñas |
Vals |
Rubén Cané |
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02.02.53 |
Polvorín |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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02.02.53 |
No aflojés |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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10.08.53 |
Gil a rayas |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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10.08.53 |
Adiós Arolas (Se llamaba Eduardo Arolas) |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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03.09.53 |
El cocherito |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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03.09.53 |
Muchacho |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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26.01.54 |
Tiento crudo |
Tango |
Rubén Cané y Tino García |
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26.01.54 |
La sonámbula |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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19.02.54 |
Carnaval de mi barrio |
Tango |
Rubén Cané |
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19.02.54 |
Cómo querés que te quiera |
Tango |
Tino García |
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16.08.55 |
Café Domínguez |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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16.08.55 |
Ella |
Vals |
Tino García |
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25.04.59 |
La barranca |
Tango |
Tino García |
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25.04.59 |
La violetera |
Tango |
Roberto Alvar |
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16.09.59 |
Ángel Vargas (el ruiseñor) |
Tango |
Roberto Alvar |
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16.09.59 |
Corazón cobarde |
Tango |
Tino García |
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1962 |
Mi viejo Buenos Aires |
Tango |
Tino García |
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1962 |
Yo soy el tango señores |
Tango |
Roberto Alvar |
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1962 |
El bar de Rosendo |
Tango |
Tino García |
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1962 |
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez |
Tango |
Tino García |
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06.05.63 |
Mi viejo Buenos Aires |
Tango |
Tino García |
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06.05.63 |
Gil a rayas |
Tango |
Instrumental |
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20.05.63 |
Mi chiquita |
Tango |
Raúl Lavié |
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20.05.63 |
Yo te canto Buenos Aires |
Tango |
Raúl Lavié |