The
bandoneón is a type of
concertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
particularly popular in
ArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and
UruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. It plays an essential role in the
orquesta típicaOrquesta típica, or simply a típica, is a Latin-American term for a band which plays popular music. The details vary from country to country. The term tends to be used for groups of medium size in some well-defined instrumental set-up.- Argentina :In Argentina, a típica is a tango orchestra...
, the
tangoTango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
orchestra. The
bandoneón, called
bandonion by a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
instrument dealer,
Heinrich BandHeinrich Band , born in Krefeld, Germany, in 1821, was the inventor of the Bandoneón; this 'hand-organ-like' instrument is a reed instrument in the Concertina family of instruments....
(1821–1860), was originally intended as an instrument for
religious musicReligious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
and the
popular musicPopular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
of the day, in contrast to its predecessor, the German
concertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
(or
Konzertina), considered to be a folk instrument by some modern authors. German sailors and Italian seasonal workers and emigrants brought the instrument with them to Argentina in the late 19th century, where it was incorporated into the local music, such as tango.
How the instrument is played
Like
concertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
s, the
bandoneón is played by holding the instrument between both hands and either pushing in or pulling out the instrument while simultaneously pressing one or more buttons with the fingers. It is considered part of the
concertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
family of instruments rather than the
accordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
family, although both are free reed instruments. In the concertina family the direction of button movement is parallel with the direction of bellows movement, whereas in the accordion family the direction of button or key movement is perpendicular to the bellows movement.
Unlike the
piano accordionA piano accordion is an accordion equipped with a right-hand keyboard similar to a piano or organ. Its acoustic mechanism is more similar to that of an organ than a piano, as they are both wind instruments, but the term "piano accordion"—coined by Guido Deiro in 1910—has remained the popular...
, the
bandoneón does not have keys as per a piano, but has buttons on both sides. Additionally the notes produced on push and pull are different (bisonoric). This means that each keyboard has actually two layouts: one for the opening notes, and one for the closing notes. Since the right and left hand layouts are also different, this adds up to four different keyboard layouts that must be learned in order to play the instrument. However, there is the advantage that the notes tend to progress from the bass
clefA clef is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff...
on the left hand to above the treble clef on the right. To make matters even more confusing, there are bandoneóns that are monosonoric (same note on push and pull). These variants are more compatible with a chromatic tuning structure.
None of these keyboard layouts is structured to facilitate playing scale passages of notes. Instead the structure is designed to aid the playing of chords, which makes sense when one considers the origin of the instrument and its intended purpose. For a beginning player, certain runs and musical forms can be difficult, but to an experienced player they come quite naturally.
With its arrival in Argentina around 1870, the bandoneón was adopted by those wishing to incorporate it into the Milonga music of that time (which requires a very fast player indeed). What sprang from that is Tango.
Famous musicians
The Argentinian composer and tango performer
Ástor PiazzollaÁstor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
was the leading proponent of the
bandoneón in the 20th century. His "Fugata" from 1969 showcases the instrument which plays the initial fugue subject on the 1st statement, then moves on to the outright tango played after the introduction. Piazzolla combined a musical architecture very much derived from classical music (which he had studied intensively in his formative years) with traditional instrumental
tangoTango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, and with his solos and accompaniment on the bandoneón.
List of some bandoneonists:
- Isaco Abitbol
- David Alsina
- Eduardo Arolas
Eduardo Arolas was an Argentine tango Bandoneon player, leader and composer.Arolas first learned to play the guitar before learning the bandoneon which became his instrument of choice. His nickname was El Tigre del bandoneón .Arolas composed his first tango in 1909 before he could even read or...
(1892–1924)
- Alejandro Barletta
- Osvaldo Barrios
- Daniel Binelli
- Miguel Caló
Miguel Caló was a famous tango bandoneonist, composer, and the leader of the Orchestra Miguel Caló.-External links:**...
- Tránsito Cocomarola
Mario del Tránsito Cocomarola was an Argentine musician and folklorist, and is known as one of the most influential figures of chamamé...
- Claudio Constantini
Claudio Constantini is a pianist, bandoneonist and composer, born in Perú, and currently living in The Netherlands.Claudio Constantini was born into a family of musicians...
- Rubén Juárez
Rubén Juárez was an Argentine bandoneonist and singer-songwriter of tango. Juárez studied the bandoneón from the age of six. In 1956 he entered in the Youth Orchestra of Club Atlético Independiente....
- Ryōta Komatsu
is a Japanese bandoneón player. He has cooperated with famous Japanese violinist Taro Hakase in his own album La Trampera , and with Bajofondo in their album Mar Dulce.-External links:...
- Carel Kraayenhof
- Pedro Laurenz
Pedro Laurenz was a bandoneon player, director and composer of Argentine tango music.He was born on October 10, 1902, and died on July 7, 1972....
(1902–1972)
- Pedro Maffia
Pedro Mario Maffia was an Argentine tango Bandoneonist, bandleader, composer and teacher, as well as starring in several tango films....
(1899–1967)
- Carlittos Magallanes
- Rodolfo Mederos
Rodolfo Mederos is an Argentine bandoneonist, composer and arranger. He lived in Cuba and France; in Argentina, he founded the cult group Generación Cero.- Beginnings :...
- Ricardo Souza Melo
- Bruno Mendoza
- Gabriel Merlino
Gabriel Merlino is one of the most important bandoneon players from the new generation. From 8 years old he started with bandoneon studies. His professors were Alejandro Barletta, the biggest bandoneon classical concertist in history, and Marcos Madrigal...
- Alexander Mitenev
Born in St. Petersburg Alexander Mitenev began playing music at the age of nine. Before his 16 Alexander had already made a lot of appearances in Russia and obtained Dmitry Likhachev Scholarship.1997 he was accepted to State Academy of Art in St...
- Pauline Oliveros
Pauline Oliveros is an American accordionist and composer who is a central figure in the development of post-war electronic art music....
- Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
(1921–1992)
- Hermeto Pascoal
Hermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
- Edgardo Pedroza
- Gabriel Rivano
Gabriel Rivano is an Argentine bandoneonist, guitarist, flutist and composer, born in Buenos Aires in 1958.In 1990 Gabriel Rivano established the "Gabriel Rivano Quinteto"...
- Rene Marino Rivero (?-2010)
- Tolga Salman
- Dino Saluzzi
Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi is an Argentine musician.The son of popular carpero composer and instrumentalist Cayetano Saluzzi, Dino played the bandoneón since his childhood...
- John Spiers
John Spiers is an English melodeon, concertina and bandonion player.-Career:He plays with the duo Spiers and Boden and the band Bellowhead, and used to be a part of Eliza Carthy's old band The Ratcatchers.-Personal life:...
- Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
(1914–1975)
- David Tudor
David Eugene Tudor was an American pianist and composer of experimental music.- Biography :Tudor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied piano with Irma Wolpe and composition with Stefan Wolpe and became known as one of the leading performers of avant garde piano music. He gave the...
External links