Thought for the day:"PC World - you have to watch what you say in there
Spent all day yesterday looking at videos on Youtube on how to use Flash with the camera - we shall soon see in Crete if any of it sank in...
Meanwhile - Mary Poppins does Heavy Metal
Super Callous !!
And someone told me today that the Tango was originally danced by two men - I said "Don't be silly ! it came from the Brothels of Buenos Aries" so I looked it up...
A brief Tango History by Murray Pfeffer
The Tango, often called 'The Argentine Tango', is Argentina's contribution to the world of dance. The Tango came from the brothels and low cafes of Buenos Aires at the turn of the century. However, at it's very beginning, it was a ballet-like dance between two men, which, just a little later, became the obscene dance of the brothels where both men and women had the opportunity to rub their bodies together. Over the years, the Tango has changed becoming an elegant and stylish dance evoking a picture of high society, with women in sleek glittering evening gowns and men in tuxedos and tails.
During the last 25 years of the nineteenth century, the desperate poverty of a disintegrating Europe caused a great migration - "to make America" was the saying. Very large numbers of eastern Europeans emigrated to the New World. While New York City was a favorite destination, a great many landed in Buenos Aires with their few tattered belongings and a pocket full of dreams for a better life. Although a few emigres did bring their families, generally it was the men who came first to build a home and then later sent for their wives and children. Many found a new home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires during the 1880's.
Here, instead of their dreams, they found the stark reality of the meat packing houses along the Riachuelo in Buenos Aires, and near the port in Montevideo, Uruguay. In places like the Mataderos district of Buenos Aires and El Cerro in Montevideo; or along the docks on both shores of the mud colored Rio de la Plata, they worked from dawn till dusk amid the heat and the stench of spoiling meat.
Many lived five and six to a room, in various housing conglomerates that came to be called "conventillos", while others lived in sewer pipes stored on an empty lot belonging to a Frenchman named A. Touraint and, in the Argentine vernacular, became known as the "atorrantes", - a slang expression which today still describes homeless 'bums'. The Conventillos housed thousands of poor immigrants, mostly from Spain and Italy, but elsewhere too, along with Argentineans from the provinces.
Nights were often the worst times. Italian, French, Turkish, Irish and German immigrants would congregate on street corners of the "arrabales" (the city's outskirts), or crowd into the bars where they could dull their desires with cheap wine and sing mournful Andalucian and Neapolitan love songs to the women left behind.
In this 'male world' there was often violence as the alcohol and the cocaine took effect. Knife wielding toughs, called "compadrones," ruled the arrabales. In the beginning, the Tango was danced by two men - "the tango of the compadron". They danced not arm in arm, but in something of a ballet-like, style, expressing a tale of two men locked in symbolic mortal combat (and often ending in real combat). The expression 'ballet-style' may be confusing. In the Spanish ethos, there is a history of men dancing either alone, or in a group. Nowadays, we can conjure up a vision of modern day male Flamenco dancers dancing in bolero jackets, with a hat pulled low over one eye, and such. So too, with the early Tango. It was danced by one man alone, -expressing his sorrows and hopes, or by two men expressing some sort of moral combat. This is the type of dancing to which 'ballet-style'makes reference.
In time, women - many of them prostitutes - made their way to the ports. They too, found their way into the Tango. The "kilombos" and "enramadas" (brothels), where they plied their trade around the turn of the century, became show places for the Tango. French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and German women were brought in to work in these bordellos. Supply very often did not meet Demand and eager men would wait in long lines. Not wishing to lose the "customers" to boredom while they were waiting, the bordello owners hired musicians - usually trios playing guitar, violin and flute -as entertainment. Mostly they would play the popular music of the time: polkas, habaneras, waltzes, and mazurkas. And, the customers, might often "dance" with a prostitute. Since these humble people had no dance training whatsoever, it must have been some very simple "walking" dance, with quite a bit of body rubbing. (In today's ballroom, the Basic steps of the Tango are 'walks' and the dance protocol demands that the dancer's bodies be in contact.)
Many men found momentary respite in these brothels of Buenos Aires. Here, both the new immigrants and the 'portenos' (men born in Bueno Aires) could find some companionship and drown their troubles in a few drinks. The grey stone and muddy streets of their barrio (neighborhoods) echoed their sadness. Only the rising sun would dull the pain of memories. It was a time when the Tango belonged to the night.
This eclectic mix of cultures, the European emigres, the peasants from the Argentine hinterland, and the disadvantaged "portenos" became a new social class. They began to create their own cultural expressions. This "Tango culture", -the particular slang, usages and customs of the group, is earlier than Tango dance as an artistic expression.
Today it is generally accepted that the Tango is borrowed from many nations. It took the relentless African slave rhythms -the 'Candombe' and the beat of their drums (known as tan-go), and added the popular dance music of the Pampas (Argentina's prarie land) called the 'Milonga' .(The Milonga, was an early rural dance-form that mutated into the Tango around 1880.) It combined Indian rhythms with music of early Spanish colonists. The "Candombe", was a typical Uruguayan rhythmic form, well known in the nearby port city of Buenos Aires. (As an aside, it is interesting to note that 'True' Tango music does NOT use any drums in the ensemble.) The Salon dances (mainly the Waltz), -those involving men and women embracing, were the precedent for the dance, which was refined until it became what we now know as Tango.
These early immigrants and societal outcasts, seeking escape from their own emotions and feelings, would soon develop a music and a dance that epitomized their loneliness and desires. The wail of "their" Tango spoke of more than just frustrated love. It spoke of fatality and of destinies engulfed in pain. It was a dance of sorrow. "El Tango no est en los pies. Est en el coraz¢n." (Tango is not in the feet. It is in the heart.)
The Tango dance originated as an "acting out" of the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp. Tango songs and dances, often highly improvised, had no lyrics, and were generally quite obscene. Titles usually referred to characters in the world of prostitution. During this period, Tango music largely consisted of the melancholy wailing of a bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument imported to Argentina from Germany in 1886.
Between 1880 and 1930, Argentina developed qjuickly. Buenos Aires was virtually entirely rebuilt during this period. The beautiful old colonial Spanish city, with it's one story buildings and narrow streets, was replaced by a metropolis of wide avenues and beautiful parks. The tall buildings were of French and Italian architecture. (Argentina became one of the ten richest nations in the world, maintaining that position until the early 1950's when it's economy began a lengthy decline, lasting for the next 30 years.) During the prosperous period, the very rich had the habit of going to Europe at least once a year. They. maintained big homes in Paris or London, where the nobility, the famous and the very rich regularly attended their parties. The French coined the phrase "he is as rich as an Argentinean" to mean extremely rich. Some young Argentineans visiting Europe introduced their "indecent" Argentine Tango to the Parisian nobility, and the dance took Paris by storm. Tango became the craze of the time. Parties were given with Argentinean orchestras, tango lessons and milongas. Even women's fashion changed. Bulky dresses were replaced by lighter, looser ones so the ladies could adjust to the moves of Tango. Tango rapidly migrated to the other big capitals, London, Rome, Berlin, and finally New York. Now the Tango became "respectable", and was soon re-imported to the shores of the Rio de la Plata and featured in the cafes and clubs frequented by rich Argentinians.
But it was no longer the Tango of the compadron - the two men in combat. "The compadron was replaced by the "compadrito" who dressed like him; the "fungi," a wide rimmed hat thrown over one eye, a white handkerchief tied around his neck, the short coat and tight trousers and, as a last connection to the toughness of the port, the knife at his side. But it was all 'looks', he had none of the compadron's substance."
By 1912, the Tango, helped by Argentina's passage of Universal Suffrage, was becoming absorbed into the larger Argentine society. While the dance lost some of it abrasiveness, it's structure remained intact, and soon the Tango developed into a worldwide phenomenon. One writer said that even the Americans were doing it, although noting that "some ladies were given to wearing "bumpers" to protect themselves from rubbing a bit too closely against their male partners".
"Eventually, the evolution of the tango took it to the better dance halls closer to "el centro," (downtown) of Buenos Aires. The "fungi" and the silk neckerchief were replaced by the black tuxedo, patent leather shoes, spats and silk top hat."
In this new culture, the tango musicians were now elevated to professional composer status. Roberto Firpo, an early pioneer of the genre, created the typical Tango orchestra. The piano and double bass carried the rhythm. The melody, with strong counter melodies and variations, was played on the bandoneon and the violin. Performance stars of this era included such men as Osvaldo Fresedo and Julio de Caro.
A somewhat more rigorous classification of this history, that has become widely used, includes the dates and commonly used labels for the eras:
1900 - 1920 : La Guardia Vieja (The Old Guard)
1920 - 1940 : La Guardia Nueva (The New Guard) - The Epoca de Oro of Argentine Tango.
1940 - 1960 : La Post-Guardia Nueva (The New Post-Guard), - aka: "The generation of the 40's"
1960 - present : El Nuevo Tango (The New Tango )
1900 - 1920 : Mainly the sung and small instrumental tangos (fundamentally trios and quartets), until 'La Orquesta Tipica' arrives on the scene, with the incorporation of the bandone¢n. Musicians like: Vicente Greco, Villoldo, Arolas, etc. One of the more representative tangos is La Morocha (Saborido and Villoldo). Perhaps, the Tango "El Choclo", best exemplifies the "Guardia Vieja". In 1907, one of the very first genuine Argentine Tangueros to visit Paris (France)was the song's composer, Angel Villoldo, who wanted to do some recording. (At the time, Paris had the best recording facilities and techniques.) In 1918, writing Lyrics for the tango became all the rage with singers such as the tragic Carlos Gardel and celebrated salon orchestras like Francisco Canaro's giving the music a new legitimacy and acceptance. Carlos Gardel is still revered today, five decades after his death. Another of the more representative Tangos of this period is "La Morocha" (by: Saborido and Villoldo).
1920 - 1940 : Here, besides the tango with lyrics and authors such as Discepolo, the instrumental Tango becomes prominent. There are two groups of writers. The composers most identified with the 'Traditional' Tango include Juan Darienzo, Francisco Canaro, Pugliese, D'Arienzo, Di Sarli, Troilo, Tanturi, and (early) Salgan. While such composers as Astor Piazzolla, Julio and Francisco de Caro, Juan Carlos Cobian, Elvino Vardaro, try to take Tango into a newer form. But probably the most important evolutionist was Astor Piazzolla. "La Cumparsita", is an excellent example of a 'Golden Age' song. Another example is the Tango "Celos", ("Jealousy" is the English name). Paris, France, was first to take the Tango to her heart, and soon after, the Tango took all Europe by storm. "Tango Jalousie" is a European tango written by the Danish composer Jacob Gade, and may be the best known Tango of the "golden age".In 1930, an Argentine military coup ended universal suffrage. No longer able to vote, the citizenry became largely apathetic with a concomitant depressing effect on dancing the Tango. A rather pessimistic philosopher/singer of the Tango emerged at this time. Enrique Santos Discepolo is perhaps most famous for his lyric, "The 20th Century is a trash heap. No one can deny it."The late 1930's saw a Tango revival when Argentinean's regained a good measure of political freedom. Celebrating their social rise, the Tango again became a symbol of solidarity and a part of people's daily life. Tango musicians emerged taking the form into new paths. Among those musicians were such men as Fresedo, de Caro, Pugliese, and Anibal Troilo. Even wealthy intellectuals, far removed from the working class "orilla", were writing new lyrics for Tango songs. Due to their influence, The Tango became more romantic, more nostalgic, and much less threatening, -"a sweet remembrance of youth in an idyllic society that never existed".
1940 - 1960 : Musicians such as Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Leopoldo Federico, Osmar Maderna, Atilio Stampone, are writing, strongly influenced by Astor Piazzolla's evolutionist line with "La Ulltima Curda" being a good example of the songs then written. Such poets as Homero Manzi, Enrique Cadicamo, and Homero Exposito are writing. In 1946, Juan Peron rose to power and the Tango reached a new pinnacle of popularity in Argentina with both the generalisimo and his wife Evita embracing it wholeheartedly. But with Evita's death in 1952, the Tango again fell from public favor. With the advent of American rock-and-roll, the Tango seemed "out of step" with the times.
1960 - To The Present: Piazzolla's influence is so very strong, that many now divide Tango into Before and After Piazzolla. Piazzolla's big hit, "Balada para un Loco", convinced many doubting Argentinians that the "New Tango" was "for real". Another example is "La Bestia Potenciada", a big hit from the Tango heartland, Buenos Aires.The Tango still enjoys wide favor. Immensely popular (it is virtually the "national" dance of Finland), the Tango is again enjoying a world-wide renaissance. Several shows have already appeared on New York's Broadway stages, and another version is still a very popular and required ballroom dance in international DanceSport Competitions. .
Many attempts have been made to trace the history of Tango, but nobody has ever found the exact root of its origins. It suffices to say that that Tango was the music of the "portenos", - the inhabitants of the city of Buenos Aires. It is a "rags to riches" story that began in the late 1800s, when poor immigrants danced in Argentine brothels, and continued on to the glittering evening Galas of high society. Tango is still sexy and elegant, and danced with passion not only in Buenos Aires, but in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and New York, - but in fact, in every nation of the world, including Zambia. .
TANGO GLOSSARY
ARRABAL: Outskirts, suburb
BARRIO: Neighborhood or district
COMPADRE: Haughty, proud, brave man living in the arrabales (suburb)
COMPADRITO: Typical character of the suburb, a bully and a braggart
CONVENTILLO: Housing edifice with multiple rooms and no basic comfort where the immigrants of different origins live: workers, failed craftsmen...
FUEYE: the Bandoneon (accordion-type instrument)
GUAPO: Nickname for a man who practises the cult of courage
LUNFARDO: Slang of Buenos Aires
MILONGA: Popular music of the pampas and the Rio del Plata
PORTENIO: Term for the residents of Buenos Aires (port-area)
Thought for the day:"If you don't drink - how will your friends know that you love them at 2am?" Sunday - and no learning to do !! that makes a change ! Will have to think about packing for Crete as we leave on Tuesday and I shall be playing the Organ for the Price of Wales Installation tomorrow here in Llanelli. Thought I would be sneaky today - and joined one of those Voucher Code websites - and sure enough Frankie and Bennies have a special offer at the moment for 25% off the food bill. I thought "That will be useful as we always have a quick meal in the airport after we get through security" and so I sign up for the emails. Always read the small print, I thought as I get ready to email myself the voucher - and yes - sure enough in the small print it excludes airport locations - oh well !! Can't win them all ! So a day of study today to see how to use a flash unit with my camera - all seems very technical - the inverse square law I think I understand - but not sure how it helps - I think I will just have to experiment again ... Cheers !
Thought for the day:"As I am over 60 and apparently I can sign up for Amazon Past Your Prime!"
1945 1st "bug" in a computer program discovered by Grace Hopper, a moth was removed with tweezers from a relay & taped into the log...
Grace Hopper was an Admiral and Computer Scientist which is a novel connection - especially for 1945...
She was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer which was used in the war effort and the Manhattan project from 1944.
Hopper went on to invent the first compiler for a universal computer programming language.
She is also credited with coining the phrase 'debugging' after removing a moth with tweezers from a relay and taping it into the log.
Owing to both her accomplishments and naval rank, she was often referred to as "Amazing Grace". The USS Hopper, a Burke-class guided-missile destroyer was named for her, as was the Cray XE6 "Hopper" supercomputer.
She popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today.
Hopper had tried to enlist in the Navy during World War II. She had to join the Navy Reserves because she was too old to enlist at the age of 34. Hopper started her computing career working in the Harvard Mark I team led by Howard H. Aiken. In 1949, she joined the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation, joining the team that developed the UNIVAC I in 1944. It was at Eckert–Mauchly that she began developing the compiler. She believed that computer code could be written in English using a programming language based on English words. The compiler would convert that code into machine code understood by computers. By 1952, Hopper finished her compiler, which was written for the A-0 System programming language.
In 1954, Eckert–Mauchly chose Hopper to lead their department for automatic programming, and she led the release of some of the first compiled languages like FLOW-MATIC. In 1959, she participated in the CODASYLconsortium, which consulted Hopper to guide them in creating a machine-independent programming language. This led to the COBOL language, inspired by her idea of a language being based on English. In 1966, she retired from the Naval Reserve, but in 1967, the Navy recalled her into active duty. She retired from the Navy in 1986 and found work as a consultant for the Digital Equipment Corporation, sharing her computing experiences.
Owing to her accomplishments and her naval rank, she was sometimes referred to as "Amazing Grace". The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper was named for her, as was the Cray XE6"Hopper" supercomputer at NERSC. During her lifetime, Hopper was awarded 40 honorary degrees from universities across the world. In 1991, she received the National Medal of Technology. On November 22, 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Hopper had tried to enlist in the Navy early in the war. She was at age 34, too old to enlist, and her weight to height ratio was too low. She was also denied on the basis that her job as a mathematician and mathematics professor at Vassar College was valuable to the war effort.
During World War II in 1943, Hopper obtained a leave of absence from Vassar and was sworn into the United States Navy Reserve, one of many women to volunteer to serve in the WAVES. She had to get an exemption to enlist; she was 15 pounds (6.8 kg) below the Navy minimum weight of 120 pounds (54 kg).
She reported in December and trained at the Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Hopper graduated first in her class in 1944, and was assigned to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard University as a lieutenant, junior grade.
She served on the Mark I computer programming staff headed by Howard H. Aiken. Hopper and Aiken co-authored three papers on the Mark I, also known as the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator. Hopper's request to transfer to the regular Navy at the end of the war was declined due to her advanced age of 38. She continued to serve in the Navy Reserve. Hopper remained at the Harvard Computation Lab until 1949, turning down a full professorship at Vassar in favor of working as a research fellow under a Navy contract at Harvard.
In accordance with Navy attrition regulations, Hopper retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of commander at age 60 at the end of 1966. She was recalled to active duty in August 1967 for a six-month period that turned into an indefinite assignment. She again retired in 1971, but was again asked to return to active duty in 1972. She was promoted to captain in 1973.
After Republican Representative Philip Crane saw her on a March 1983 segment of 60 Minutes, he championed H.J.Res. 341, a joint resolution originating in the House of Representatives, which led to her promotion to commodore by special Presidential appointment. She remained on active duty for several years beyond mandatory retirement by special approval of Congress. Effective November 8, 1985, the rank of commodore was renamed rear admiral (lower half) and Hopper became one of the Navy's few female admirals.
Admiral Hopper retired (involuntarily) from the Navy on August 14, 1986 after a career over 42 years. At a celebration held in Boston on the USS Constitution to commemorate her retirement, Hopper was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat decoration awarded by the Department of Defense.
At the time of her retirement, she was the oldest active-duty commissioned officer in the United States Navy (79 years, eight months and five days), and aboard the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy (188 years, nine months and 23 days).
Hopper died in her sleep of natural causes on New Year's Day 1992 at her home in Arlington, Virginia; she was 85 years of age. She was interred with full military honors
