ABSTRACT
Master of the Argentine tango, Piazolla was one of the 20th century’s greatest artists on the bandoneon (a form of accordion). Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Astor was brought to the U.S. at the age of three, where his family settled in New York City. He began studying bandoneon at age 9, along with studying the piano. The family returned to Argentina in 1936, where the teenage Piazolla began performing in tango bands. He moved to Buenos Aires in 1938, and a year later joined Anibal Troilo’s band, a pioneering bandoneon player and orchestra leader. Piazolla remained with Troilo through 1944, performing as well as composing/arranging for the group. He was hired by rival bandleader Francisco Fiorentino in 1944, and then in 1946 formed the first band, which lasted three years. Meanwhile, he continued to work on his classical composing, premiering the piece “Buenos Aires” for bandoneon and orchestra in 1953; the piece gained international recognition and a scholarship for Piazolla to study in 1954 in Paris with famed music teacher Nadia Boulanger.
