Ástor Piazzolla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ástor Piazzolla
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Ástor Piazzolla with his bandoneon in 1971.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla |
| Born | March 11, 1921 Mar del Plata, Argentina |
| Died | July 4, 1992 (aged 71) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Genres | Nuevo tango |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Bandoneón player |
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla (born March 11, 1921 – died July 4, 1992) was a super talented musician from Argentina. He played an instrument called the bandoneon and wrote amazing music. He's famous for changing traditional tango music into something new and exciting called nuevo tango. He did this by mixing tango with sounds from jazz and classical music.
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Who Was Ástor Piazzolla?
Ástor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. When he was young, his family moved to New York City in the United States. This is where he first fell in love with music.
His First Instrument
When Ástor was nine years old, his dad gave him a bandoneon. This instrument looks a bit like an accordion and is very important in tango music. At first, Ástor didn't like it much! He wanted to play the drums instead.
Learning Music
Luckily, Ástor soon started to love the bandoneon. He learned to play it really well. He also studied classical music with famous teachers. One of his teachers was Nadia Boulanger, a very important French composer and teacher. She encouraged him to keep writing his own music.
What is Nuevo Tango?
Traditional tango music is mostly for dancing. It has a strong rhythm and a passionate feel. Ástor Piazzolla loved tango, but he wanted to do more with it. He wanted to make tango music that people would listen to in a concert hall, not just dance to.
Mixing Styles
So, Ástor started to mix tango with other types of music. He added parts from jazz, like improvisation (making up music on the spot). He also used ideas from classical music, making his tangos more complex and artistic. This new style became known as nuevo tango, which means "new tango."
How it Sounds
Nuevo tango still has the spirit of traditional tango. But it also has surprising harmonies and rhythms. It can be very dramatic and emotional. Piazzolla wrote many pieces for his own groups, often a quintet (a group of five musicians).
Why is Piazzolla Important?
Ástor Piazzolla changed the way people thought about tango. Before him, tango was mostly seen as dance music. He showed that it could be a serious art form, just like classical music or jazz.
His Legacy
Today, Ástor Piazzolla is one of the most famous Argentine composers. His music is played all over the world. Many musicians continue to perform and be inspired by his nuevo tango. He wrote hundreds of pieces, including famous ones like "Libertango" and "Adiós Nonino".
Images for kids
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Piazzolla & his orchestra at television network Canal13 in 1963
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Astor Piazzolla with Gerry Mulligan at the Summit recording, Milan (Italy) 1974. The image includes the producer Aldo Pagani, first from the left, and some performers, including Pino Presti, 2nd from right, and Tullio De Piscopo, 2nd from left
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Piazzolla with football star Diego Maradona (center) and singer-songwriter Jairo in Paris, 1981
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Astor Piazzolla (lithography)
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Astor Piazzolla's Doble A bandoneon used in his main concerts.
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Piazzolla and Horacio Ferrer around 1970
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See also
In Spanish: Astor Piazzolla para niños
