TANGO AND SOCIAL GRIEVANCES (1900-1930) In the Buenos Aires of 1900-1930, cafés were the gathering place for Spanish collectivists, German individualists, anti-authoritarian Russians (followers of Bakunin), Italian anarchists representing unions, and the Kropotking-reading Polish. This was the period when Anarchism gained popularity in Argentina, and precisely, the time when tango was exported reaching the masses’ hearts. Tango was born in the inner city, and the arrabales (poor barrios), and stemmed from injustices, hunger, and feelings of fraternity and identity. Although Tango was not just about roses and lipstick, its lyrics, heavily loaded with social grievances, were not void of romanticism and refined sensitivities. Moreover, two groups of “protest” tango composers can be identified: those whose lyrics were clearly committed to Anarchist and Libertarian ideas, and those who addressed such ideas in a more subtle way. For the first group, tango was just a vehicle to reach the electorate, whereas for the second group, tango was an artistic expression of life disappointments. Many payadores were involved with the Anarchist movement as well (e.g. Evaristo Barrios, Andrés Cepeda) and composed milongas with strong political content. In “Dios te salve m’hijo”, the singer describes the frustration of a constituent about the politics of violence and daggers. youtu.be/Qi3hKv_w9X8
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:45:47 +0000