Contents

Part 1: An introduction to the orchestras

  1. Juan D’Arienzo: The King of The Beat
  2. Aníbal Troilo & the rise of the orchestra singer
  3. Osvaldo Pugliese: passion, purity and a red carnation
  4. Carlos Di Sarli: doing it with strings
  • The “big four”: a summary

Part 2: Other orchestras of the Golden Decade

  1. The many ages of Francisco Canaro
  2. Miguel Caló & Raúl Berón: to the beat of the heart
  3. The two angels: Ángel D’Agostino & Ángel Vargas
  4. Ricardo Tanturi: this is how tango is danced!
  5. Rodolfo Biagi: manos brujas – enchanted hands
  6. Enrique Rodríguez: cheerful tango
  7. Edgardo Donato: get happy
  8. Elvino Vardaro: the greatest orchestra there never was
  9. Pedro Laurenz: the herald of the Golden Decade
  10. Roberto Firpo: the forgotten hero
  11. Francisco Lomuto: firmly on the ground
  12. Osvaldo Fresedo: sweet and lovely
  13. Alfredo De Angelis and the two tenors
  14. Lucio Demare: tango italiano

Part 3: The roaring twenties

  1. The era of the sextets
  2. Julio De Caro: tango is music
  3. OTV and the house orchestras: Orquesta Típica Sony, anyone?
  4. Juan Maglio: the ultimate old-timer
  • The other orchestras: a summary

Part 4: The “big four” orchestras in depth

  1. Juan D’Arienzo: after the big bang
  2. Carlos Di Sarli: the rise of melody
  3. Osvaldo Pugliese: perhaps more than you think
  4. The forgotten Troilo

Part 5: Tango stories

  1. I don’t know what your eyes have done to me
  2. Emperor Hirohito offered to send a submarine: the tango in Japan
  3. Osvaldo Pugliese: Al Colón!

Postscript

Appendices

  1. The anatomy of an orquesta típica
  2. How to listen to tango music

Index

Glossary