The tango was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, in the frontier between pampa and the last houses of the city around 1870. It is a miracolous mixture that merged African, American and European Rythms and dances of different origins; the candombe, the habanera, the payada, the milonga and the Andalusian tango. This mixture was later enriched by the lament of Italian opera arias and of canzonettas brought by immigrants from southern Italy. The word candombe is of african origin, from ndombe (negro), a word used by Quimbande people of Equatorial Africa. The word tangó of african origin, accented on the last syllable, means drum, and also closed meeting place. The candombe dance was a rythmic and noisy dance accompanied by drums initially danced by slaves. The rythmic habanera dance from Havana was brought to Buenos Aires by sailors who came from the Caribbean sea. The milonga, another word of african origing, was a traditional song, a melancolic folklore that had its origin in the dances that the gauchos danced in the countryside. It was sung by a payador, an improviser who sang to his guitar. And slowly, the tango dance as we know it today came to life.
The tango song was born in 1917 with “Mi Noche Triste” by Pasual Contursi (text) and Samuel Castriota (music), which became very popular and was immediately adopted by all social classes. After this tango, nothing was the same. Carlos Gardel is the most famous tango singer ever. He was a composer and a well known movie star as well. He brought the fame of tango to Europe and the world.
