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Astor Piazzolla

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Astor Piazzolla was born in 1921 in Mar del Plata in Argentina, the only child of Vicente Piazzolla and Asunta Manetti. In 1925 the family moved to Greenwich Village in New York, a rough neighbourhood, and later to Little Italy. In 1932 he composed his first tango, La Catinga. After returning to Argentina in 1936 he played in tango orchestras, and in 1939 he joined the orchestra of the bandoneon player Aníbal Troilo. His new ideas clashed with Troilo, and in 1944 he left.

Music and breakthrough

Piazzolla studied classical music, with Alberto Ginastera among others, and in 1954 he travelled to Paris to take lessons with Nadia Boulanger. In Paris he also heard the octet of the saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Back in Argentina he formed an orchestra of strings and the Octeto Buenos Aires, and later his quintet. In 1974 he recorded the album Libertango in Milan, under a contract with an Italian publisher. That same year an album with Gerry Mulligan followed.

Influence

His work changed the traditional tango into a new style, nuevo tango, with elements from jazz and classical music. The bandoneon, a kind of concertina, remains the voice, but the rhythms are sharper and the harmonies bolder. Stephen Holden called him in 1992 the most important tango composer in the world. Piazzolla died that year at the age of 71.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Libertango and notice the rhythm that keeps driving the tango on and the bandoneon that rises above it. Try to hear where the dance turns into something that is almost rock.

Discography

Studio albums

Mentioned in other articles

Categories: ArtistsTango