Tango and Art Music: An Analysis of Claudia Montero's Piano Concerto En Blanco y Negro

Abstract

In Argentina, Western music developed in the beginning of the nineteenth century, and by the end of the nineteenth century, the two nationalistic “waves” of composers had institutionalized the use of folk music as the vernacular source of inspiration, hence representing the identity of Argentine composers. Eventually, Argentine tango—a style that blended cultural traditions of Afro-Argentines, European immigrants, and even rural areas—became a vernacular style that composers intended to use. However, the lack of social acceptance of tango discouraged composers from incorporating this style in their compositions. After Astor Piazzolla (1912–1992), tango became fully accepted among Western music composers. Claudia Montero (1962–2021) composed En Blanco y Negro [In White and Black], which was premiered in 2017 and was the first piano concerto based on tango as a vernacular source of inspiration, notably by a woman composer. This document analyzes the concerto’s unique features in the context of Argentine music history, Claudia Montero’s output, and modern times. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the topic, the justification of the study, the purpose of the study, the limitations of the study, an outline of the study, and includes a comprehensive literature review. Chapter 2 provides an overview of Argentine music history, including Western music composers and tango’s evolution from the nineteenth century to the end of the 1990s. Additionally, it surveys the stylistic features of Argentine tango and art music, the history of the piano concerto, and the development of the piano concerto in Argentine piano literature. Chapter 3 presents the life and works of Claudia Montero. The first part of Chapter 3 is a biographical sketch, and the second part is an overview of Montero’s works, with emphasis on her solo piano music and stylistic features. Chapter 4 contains the analysis of the three movements of En Blanco y Negro. The first movement presents a seven-part rondo form, the second movement is a theme with variations, and the third movement is in compound ternary form. This is score for piano and string orchestra, and all the cadenzas are notated. The tango elements include 3-3-2 rhythm patterns, embellished melodies including the use of the “green note,” contrapuntal textures, ternary form (in the third movement), and an instrumentation which includes string instruments, a timbre associated with tango. Chapter 5 presents the final conclusions based on the significance and the characteristics of the piano concerto; additionally, it introduces suggestions for future research. Finally, Chapter 5 ties together the historical narrative of tango with Claudia Montero’s contributions, considering her impact as a woman composer and interpreting the title En Blanco Negro.