ABSTRACT
Chapter 5, ‘Horacio Salgán — His Life, Musical Style and Ensembles and His Contribution to Instrumental Tango Music’, presents the famous tango musician in full, following an introduction of the main stylistic norms of tango music and the work of De Caro and Pugliese in previous chapters. The information is organized into three main sections: (1) a brief biography, (2) an analysis of a selection of recordings, arrangements and compositions (Don Agustín Bardi, Gran Hotel Victoria and Homenaje a Pedro Laurenz) and (3) a summary of the musical materials and techniques analyzed within those pieces. Among the most salient features defining Salgán’s style are: syncopation as a main marcato (including his trademark umpa-umpa) and marcato in 4/4 with a formal function; frequent changes of texture, instrumentation and register; the piano concertante, its expanded register, frequent ornaments and use for connecting passages; the original use of elements from folklore and the guitar (Quinteto Real and duo Salgán-De Lío); elaborate harmonic progressions; counterpoint; articulations that support the leggiero nature of his style and dynamic accents that alter the metric structure; and the addition of countermelodies in recapitulations, leading to an interplay and ambiguity between background and foreground layers.
