Music Sensations

Poor people are not always unhappy. Often, those in the poorest circumstances find joy in the simplest pleasures. Such is certainly the case with the Milonga. In 1880, in the poorer sections of Buenos Aires, the lower classes celebrated their lives in dance. The Milonga has been called the Happy Face of Tango because of its light-hearted spirit and quick tempo. Although originally frowned upon as disreputable, as nearly all dances were when first introduced throughout history, the Milonga became socially acceptable by the year 1915.

And because of this light-hearted dance, the Milonga is more commonly understood to mean a party. Couples can go to a Milonga to dance the Milonga (or a variety of other dances such as the Tango or Waltz) where the songs are played in "tandas," (or "medley" in English). One must be sure that if they agree to dance in the beginning of a tanda to choose their partners wisely since one is generally obligated to remain on the dance floor until the cortina signals the end of the dance.

The Milonga began in Argentina as a folk song that was popular in the countryside outside Buenos Aires. The Payadores were travelling minstrels who made up songs about life and the news of the day. As a minstrel form of song, the words were the focus, supported by the rhythm and chords of the music.

Although such music might not seem a likely inspiration for dance, this was one of the most popular forms of music in Buenos Aires at the time. People would travel to a Milonga to hear the Payadores sing and play music. It was more this festive setting that gave rise to the Milonga as a dance, and explains why both the dance and the gathering have such an intertwined meaning. Of course, such a gathering was a great place to meet a member of the opposite sex, and with no Superbowl or World Series to watch on television and no Internet chat rooms to find dates, those who could not afford higher forms of entertainment were not about to let such an opportunity go to waste. The Milonga was the joyful celebration of life.

Of course, the Milonga continued to develop, as all dances do, and in 1932, the Milonga was further defined. Composer Sebastian Piana had teamed up with lyricist Homero Manzi to write many popular Tangos. Manzi decided he wanted to write the definite lyrics for the Milonga - one that would do it justice. Piana was uninterested in the idea. Since the Milonga was an established musical form, there seemed nothing he could contribute to the project. Given their history of writing together, Piana eventually agreed to the project, but only if he could improvise and add his own touch to the music. The result was the Milonga, and it was a big hit with the Argentines. As one might expect, the team happily cranked out more versions, experimenting with their new musical art form. By the end of the 1930's, Piana's music had supplanted the words as the focus and for the first time, the Milonga was played solely as an instrumental. Of course, the Milonga was not long contained to the poorer sections of town. As the upper classes discovered and enjoyed it, the dance spread in popularity around the world. Now everyone of all classes can celebrate!