Estudo em Milonga
by Fernando Deddos
The term milonga refers to the musical accompaniment used for the payador, who improvised verses in the form of poetry with accompaniment on the guitar, a medieval and Renaissance tradition brought by European settlers and adapted to rural themes. The term can also designate songs composed of rhymed poetry or, in urban outskirts, a venue with couples dancing. [1] The origin of the term milonga is related to the Bantu-Congolese language, a dialect common to the African countries Angola and Congo, meaning word, in allusion to the practice of accompanying the words recited by the payador.[2]
The most common variations are milonga pampeana, milonga arrabaleira, and milonga corralera, found in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The milonga pampeana, usually in slow tempo, is metrically found in 4/4 and 2/4 time and mostly written in minor keys. An important feature of this variation is the polyrhythm found in the bass line represented by the scheme: 3+3+2, two groups of three eighth notes followed by a group of two eighth notes (fig. 14). The two other variations, milonga arrabaleira and milonga corralera, have a fast tempo, most commonly written in double time and minor keys. The latter also presents polyrhythm 3+3+2 (two groups of three sixteenth notes followed by a group of two sixteenth notes).
Bass line representing the scheme: 3+3+2
Another characteristic element in the study is the rhythmic element commonly used by the accordion, such as the sequence of sixteenth notes, which emulates the movement of the bellows of an accordion.
Rhythm emulating the movement of the bellows of an accordion.
Fernando Deddos also portrays the recitatives, a common element of the genre. This illustrates the practices of the payador and allows for great freedom of improvisation in its performance.
Excerpt illustrating the recitative, a typical element of Milonga.
Notes:
[1] Rossini Antonio da Silva Xavier, “ As escolas acordeonistas a partir do documentário O Milagre de Santa Luzia” (Master's thesis, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 2018), 10.
[2] Ibid., 9.
Fernando Deddos
Fernando Deddos is an internationally known composer, euphoniumist, and professor. Since 2016, he has been an associate professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte State in Natal, Brazil. Deddos earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Conducting and Composition from Paraná State School of Music and Fine Arts, a master’s degree from Duquesne University, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Georgia.
Milonga
Listening Examples
About the
Milonga
Emerging in the mid-19th century in Argentina, the milonga is the result of a process of Latin American cultural pluralism that involved populations of African origin and descendants of Europeans. integrated into Brazilian folklore from the middle of the last century.[1] The musical genre was first used to accompany singers known as payador, who improvised verses in the form of poetry with accompaniment on the guitar, a medieval and Renaissance tradition brought by European settlers and adapted to rural themes.
Given the geographical, economic, and cultural similarities in the region where milonga was created, it soon spread to the neighboring countries of Uruguay and Brazil. These similarities, which made the flourishing of the milonga possible, are a subject of research by Marcelo Sabbatini and Betânia Maciel. The authors indicate that the cultural exchange among Italian immigrants, natives of Spanish origin (crioulos), and Black people (descendants of enslaved people) was responsible for developing an artistic expression that encompasses the cultural elements and traditions of these three different cultures.[2] Economic and geographical affinities also influenced the incorporation and assimilation of their culture. Jeremyas Silva emphasizes that the close economic relations among the three regions and the similarities of the geographical areas strengthened the cultural connections that allowed for the fast spread of the genre. He writes,
On the border of Rio Grande do Sul with Argentina and Uruguay, the sense of belonging to the place is built in the daily life of cities. Economic relations with their own characteristics on the border have strengthened cultural ties. In addition, the geographic qualities and the climate in the pampa region are very similar. In such a way, the customs and the elements that composed the cultural aesthetics of the people of the frontier that extends to the pampa are practically the same.[3]
In this context, the features of daily life in the city and countryside were responsible for shaping the music and consequently transforming it into a description of common cultural attributes in the frontier. Furthermore, the designations used to identify the different ramifications of the genre are multiple, such as milonga campeira, milonga pampeana, milonga corralera, milonga fogoneira, milongón, and milonga canção, a consequence of the adherence to the genre in different regions and cultures.
Notes:
[1] Jeremyas Machado Silva, “A Milonga e as narrativas na região do Pampa,” Estudos Históricos 7, no. 15 (December 2015), 9.
[2] Marcelo Sabbatini and Betania Maciel, “Tarde de milonga: apontamentos para uma análise folkcomunicacional do tango,” Revista Internacional de Folkcomunicação 12, no. 25 (2014): 45.
[3] Jeremyas Machado Silva, “A Milonga e as narrativas na região do Pampa,”3.
References:
Álvares, Felipe Batistella. “Milonga, Chamamé, Chimarrita e Vaneira: origins, inserção no Rio Grande do Sul e os princípios de execução ao contrabaixo.” Bachelor 's thesis, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 2007.
Medeiros, Daniel Ribeiro, and Danilo Kuhn da Silva. “Ares de milonga: apontamentos sobre elementos característicos como bases para performance.” DAPesquisa 9, no. 11 (2014): 144-168.
Sabbatini, Marcelo, and Betania Maciel. “Tarde de milonga: apontamentos para uma análise folkcomunicacional do tango.” Revista Internacional de Folkcomunicação 12, no. 25 (2014): 43-56.
Silva, Jeremyas Machado. “A Milonga e as narrativas na região do Pampa.” Estudos Históricos 7, no. 15 (December 2015).
Wolff, Daniel.”A milonga gaúcha na gênese do Quinteto para violão e quarteto de cordas, de Fernando Mattos.” Estúdio, no. 24 (December 2018) 288-299.