Tango

For various ensembles


Commentary
Recordings
Download scores

Commentary

This Tango is part of a section of my catalog that has expanded over time as my interest in composing pedagogical music has grown, particularly music aimed at teaching chamber music to students at technically intermediate levels with different instruments.
The reform of music education under the framework of the LOGSE (Organic Law for the General Organization of the Educative System) began in the early 1990s. Regarding instrumental teaching, an emphasis was placed on orchestral and chamber practice, a focus previously unknown. Now, these practices start from the early stages of intermediate education and continue through the entire intermediate and higher education levels. However, the legislative intention was not accompanied by a repertoire suitable for the instrumental level of these courses, making it sometimes very difficult to find pieces of appropriate difficulty that still allow for the development of the musical skills intended with ensemble teaching.
Aware of this issue (both from my active collaboration in developing the new educational regulations, as Technical Advisor of the Subdirectorate of Artistic Education at the Ministry of Education from 1992 to 2001, and from my personal experience as my two sons -students of violin and cello respectively- were undergoing these studies at the time), I decided to contribute actively as a composer. I wrote a number of pieces, many of which have been incorporated into the repertoire used in orchestral and chamber music studies at professional conservatories.
The chamber works created for this purpose have adapted their format to the various ensembles proposed by chamber music teachers interested in this music for their classes. Thus, the Tango, originally composed for a trio of two violins and a cello, has undergone a series of instrumental transformations (oboe, violin, and piano; two violins and piano; violin, viola, and piano; violin, cello, and piano; clarinet, cello, and piano; clarinet and piano; string quartet; piano quintet...).
From a didactic perspective, the relatively easy instrumental execution allows for an emphasis on the complexity of interpretation, which requires constant rubato and thus great ensemble coordination. Moreover, the music speaks for itself.
The first version of the Tango dates from 1997 and was part of a collection titled Tres Danzas, for two violins and cello, premiered in 1999 by a group that included its dedicatees, my sons Luis and Guillermo. Among the subsequent versions, the 2007 arrangement for violin, cello and piano stands out, created for the 25th-anniversary commemorative concert of the Mompou Trio. This version premiered on October 29 of that year in Hall 400 of the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid and was later recorded on CD. Another notable version was made in 2008 for Marisa Blanes and included in her 2012 CD "Tangos y habaneras en la música española". In 2010 it was reworked into a more developed piece titled Dos Tangos, which ultimately became the first movement of the 2011 Danzas entrelazadas.

Recordings

Recording 1: Mompou Trio


Recording 2: Marisa Blanes (piano)

In February 2025 the CD José Luis Turina. Piano trios was published on the SACRATIF label, in which the interpretation of the Arbós Trio includes the works composed up to that date for piano trio: Trío (1983), Three trios (2003) and Viaggio di Parnaso (2005), along with the pedagogical works Compound movement and Tango.

Recording: Trío Arbós (CD "José Luis Turina. Piano trios. Sacratif, 2025)

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(Scores and parts without watermarks available at www.asesores-musicales.com )

Score of the version for violin, cello and piano of the Tango

Score of the version for Piano of the Tango

Score for the version for violin and iano of the Tango