Orquesta Típica Ángel D'Agostino

The elegant minimalism of the two angels

Ángel D'Agostino

*May, 25th 1900 +Jan 16th 1991

Status

minimalistic and melodic

Number of recordings

142

To buy

As usual you find the best transfers at www.tangotunes.com

Stil

elegant, melodic, restrained

typical

lairy, light, calm

Biggest hits

Adiós arrabal (1941)

La nueva vecina (1945)

Important singer

Ángel Vargas

important musician

Piano ÀngelD'Agostino

Bandoneon: Alfredo Attadia, Eduado del Piano

Violin: Alberto de Bagno

The elegant minimalism of the two angels

Ángel D'Agostino may not be part of the very first rank of orchestras, but his recordings are consistently of outstanding quality. It is not surprising that in 1943 he received the title of Best Orchestral Leader of the Year in the Ronda del ases competition. And of course we love this reduced, scaled back music because of Ángel Vargas, the second angel, whose voice is certainly one of the most beautiful of the years around 1940.

The D'Agostino style

While almost all of Buenos Aires was still imitating the fast D'Arienzo staccato, D'Agostino established the style of his new orchestra right away with the first recording, No aflojes, on November 13, 1940:  a relaxed approach hardly ever achieved by any other orchestra.

In the first place this maximum nonchalance is based on the soft, elegant singing of Ángel Vargas. Secondly its the the carefuly kniten, minimalistic arrangements, interpreted by outstanding musicians. A nice bar appears in front of us, bulky leather chairs in elegant, subdued light, amber whiskey, a place without hustle and bustle, full of elegance.

No Aflojés

Fernando Sanchez - Ariadna Naveira -Florenz - 2019

Adios Arrabal

Agustina Piaggio & Carlitos Espinoza.

D'Agostino's music lives from the restraint, from reduction.
Instrumental phrases played with crystal clarity seem to only sketch the harmonic and rhythmic structure of the tangos, like lightly guided brushstrokes.

The musicians, alltogether masters of understatement, subtly phrase - with a minimum of instrumentation - all the emotions and stories contained in the three-minute tango mini-operas without ever forgetting the dancers.

The music often has a fleeting quality because of its airy texture. Overall, the melodic dominates, the rhythm seemingly emerging incidentally, but the compás never stops, it's always implied, hidden in some corner of the arrangement.

D'Agostino who was one of the few orchestra leaders who was passionate about dancing himself, he really knew what dancers wanted. Nothing seems unintentional or without function; everything contributes to the progress of the musical story.

This creates a restrained power with often surprising depth. Part of the restraint is also the lack of pronounced solos. Dominant variaciones don't really fit into this very relaxed musical concept. Typical of D'Agostino's arrangements is a particularly pronounced question-and-answer technique that builds, among other things, on the restrained piano playing of the master himself. After all, the airy sound of the orchestra is created precisely by the fact that D'Agostino, unlike many other tango pianists, almost completely refrains from building up a massive beat with chords or powerfully struck notes of the lower registers in the bass. Instead, he restricts himself to responding to violin or bandoneon motifs with short, glittering interjections or to setting small accents in the brief pauses between phrases.

But also the violins and bandoneons often stay in small mini-dialogues with each other. Probably because of this, one sometimes gets the feeling that this music speaks directly to us. And the intimacy of this music naturally carries over to the embrace.

A musical family

D'Agostino grew up in a wealthy family. His father already excelled as a classical pianist, and his son also enjoyed excellent training on the piano.

He was soon considered a prodigy of the keys, and the families of high society recommended him to one another. Performances in the palatial salon of the super-aristocrat Martín Saturnino Unzué, who gave his fiancée a city palace as a wedding present that even European monarchs would not have been ashamed of, established D'Agostino's lifelong connection to high society. The young musical genius dropped out of school at an early age to devote himself entirely to music, and increasingly to tango.

Rather as an anecdote one must probably classify appearances of the twelve-year-old with a trio in the neighborhood. The violin, by the way, was played by another famous member of tango history, Juan D'Arienzo.

Shortly after 1920 we find D'Agostino in an orchestra that played both tango and jazz, ragtime and the like. He was active in the twenties with various formations, especially in theaters and silent movie theaters. At times he even had a contract to perform in the Palais de Glace, the legendary upperclass entertainment temple.

His own orchestra, founded in 1934, finally won him an engagement in the famous Cabaret Chantecler in 1936, but it was not until 1940 that D'Agostino reached tango music heaven with a contract with RCA Victor. Until 1947, he made 106 recordings.

From 1951 to 1962, D'Agostino teamed up with singers Rubén Cané and Tino García, as well as bandoneon player and arranger Máximo Mori, and once again put together an orchestra. Most of these three dozen recordings, however, do not convince todays taste as they the violins are too dominate.

D'Agostino private

As one of the very few orchestra leaders, D'Agostino himself danced passionately in the salons and cabarets of the city. This is certainly one of the reasons why his music always focusses on the dancers.

D'Agostino was a decidedly elegant bohemian. He loved the nightlife, was a regular guest in the clubs of the aristocrats and indulging in poker. An inveterate single, he and his childhood friend Enrique Cadícamo swore off marriage in a lifelong pact. D'Agostino, it is said, never forgave Cadícamo for his late marriage.

A true porteño, D'Agostino never once left his hometown despite good offers. Unlike many other orchestras they refrained from touring the provinces or South American countries. In 1962 D'Agostino ended his musical career, but not his passion for nightlife. He died in Buenos Aires on January 16, 1991.

The Orquesta Típica

Miguel Caló's orchestra was nicknamed The Orchestra of Stars. But D'Agostino's formations also deserved this title, because numerous musicians from his ranks later founded their own orchestras and played a major role in shaping the tango culture of the next decades.

In addition to outstanding bandoneon players such as the communist Ismael Spitalnik or Maxímo Mori and masters of the violin, above all Bernardo Weber and Victor Braña - both of whom were later part of the outstanding violin sections with Alfredo de Angelis and Fulvio Salamanca - three musicians stand out in particular:

Alfredo Attadía (1914-1982)

Since 1939, as first bandoneon and arranger in close collaboration with D'Agostino, he shaped the orchestra's restrained style and composed some of the very big hits such as Tres esquinas, El Yacaré, or Entre copa y copa. He left D'Agostino in mid-1943 and, together with the singer Ángel Vargas, sought his fortune on the other side of the Río de la Plata in Montevideo.

But the angelic voice soon returned to Buenos Aires to continue the dream team with D'Agostino. Attadía more or less successfully led orchestras less known today and accompanied singing stars such as Armando Moreno or the characteristic gigolo voice of Enzo Valentino, with whom he recorded his superhit Cualquier cosa.

However, after the fall of Perón in 1955, Attadía had to leave Argentina. Many tangueros were Peronists, but Attadía even composed the march Peronista in honor of the general, and, with singer Héctor Pacheco, a tango called Descamisado. This propaganda term, coined by Evita, stood for the poorest of Argentina's poor, who had even been stripped of their last shirt. Attadía found asylum in Caracas/Venezuela from 1955 until his death in 1982.

Eduardo del Piano

After the loss of Attadía and numerous other musicians in 1943, D'Agostino quickly set up a new orchestra. At its center was the arranger and virtuoso bandoneon player Eduardo del Piano. This restless spirit shaped the sound of more than 20 orchestras in his lifetime, led different formations, and became - yes, this really existed - president of the Association of Argentine Bandoneon Players; honorary president, by the way, later was Ástor Piazzolla.

Like many other second-tier musicians, he tried to supplement his income with compositions, the most successful being the wonderful D'Agostino/Vargas hit Esta noche en Buenos Aires (1944).

D'Agostino does not seem to have been a good employer, because the new orchestra also lasted only three years. Faced with dwindling success, the musicians' problems grew with their boss, who loved the life of a bohemian. In 1946, Del Piano and most of the musicians left the great master of elegance.

Alberto de Bagno

From 1943 to 1945, Alberto de Bagno threw the airy melodic lines, the precise pizzicati or the dynamically elegant pulsating violin interjections like implied sketches into the filigree mesh of the restrained sound texture of this orchestra. De corte criollo (1945), one of the few instrumental pieces, thrives on the subtle virtuoso musicality of the orchestra members of those years.
Alberto de Bagno moved on already in 1945.

His outstanding musical quality is reflected in the fact that over the next decades he played first violin in orchestras ranging from Armando Pontier to Astor Piazzolla to the Sexteto Mayor, or accompanied opera star Placido Domingo. For decades he was a member of the regular orchestras of Radio Splendid and the TV station Canal 9 as well as of the legendary TV series Los Valores del Tango and was still on stage when the tango had its renaissance in the eighties.

Ángel Vargas

El Ruiseñor (=Nightingale), as he is nicknamed, is certainly one of the greatest voices in tango. All critics agree that his crystal-clear, sweetly phrased angelic singing is the most important element for the orchestra's success.

Quite unlike D'Agostino, Vargas was the child of a poor working-class family. He worked in La Negra, one of the gigantic meat factories near the docks at the mouth of the Rayuela River in the immigrant neighborhood of La Boca.

Already in the factory, the natural talent sweetened his comrades' existence with his wonderful singing, but it wasn't until he was in his mid-twenties that he tried a new start as a singer. However, at that time, in the early thirties, the situation of musicians was quite difficult. In order to survive, the angel with the bell voice hired out to several orchestras at the same time. In 1934 he met D'Agostino at one of the gigs.

We can hear his voice on shellac for the first time on the three recordings made in 1938 for the Orquesta Típica Victor, including the beautiful tango Adiós Buenos Aires or the wonderful Vals Sin rumbo fijo.

Finally, in 1940, Vargas found the perfect musical home for his voice, the sparingly restrained sounds of D'Agostino. Vargas voice combines masculinity and sensitivity in a wonderful way, so that the lyrics, which is also a special feature of this singer, are as fine and crystal clear in space as the melody lines of the musicians. The rest is tango history. In the fall of 1946, after 93 recordings together, Vargas separated and started his successful solo career.

However, he received his nickname El Ruiseñor de las calles porteñas only after the separation. It was the presenter Raúl Astor who gave him this title during his first appearance as a solo singer.

Adiós Buenos Aires - OTV (1938)

Club Gricel - BA 2017

D’Agostino for dancers

Classics with Vargas

D'Agostino remained true to the style he had established in 1940 almost throughout his whole career, the tempo and energy level hardly change.

Outstanding tangos of the early years include No aflojes or Muchacho (1940), Adiós arrabal, El Choclo, Tres esquinas, Ahora no me conocés, Una Pena or Agua florida (1941) To really enjoy the heartbreaking violin solos, one should choose the versions of www.tangotunes.com.

The orchestra newly assembled in mid-1943, despite many new musicians, also retains the elegant restraint.

La nueva vecina, Palais de glace, Mano blanca from 1944 or Shusheta, No vendrás and Rondando tu esquina from 1945 pearl particularly beautifully.

Instrumentale

Ángel D’Agostino without Ángel Vargas?

Yes, that works.

Quite well, in fact!

Tangos like La chiflada (1942), Gran muñeca (1943), De corte criollo (1945) or Racing club (1946) seduce with their loving filigree musicality.

The outstanding Café dominguez (1953) proves that he was still a first class orchestra in the 1950s, when the bondoneon player Máximo Mori was primarily responsible for the sound and arrangements of the orchestra. With the legendary glossa intensely performed by Julián Centeya, this instrumental tango is frequently chosen by contemporary DJs.

Valses

D'Agostino's restrained attitude does not convince that much in valses, that want do swing. Perhaps that is why there are only five recordings in three-four time. Yo tengo una novia (1942) and Tristeza criolla (1945) are peppier, Esquinas porteñas (1942), Que me pasará (1943) and El espejo de tus ojos (1944) are sweetly playful, but perhaps lack energy.

Milongas

The rhythmically freer and more playful phrasing of Ángel Vargas gilds the tangos, but most of the orchestra's 7 milongas seem a bit spongy and lacking in energy as a result; the earthiness and somewhat dirtiness of this genre unfolds too little. More experienced players will nevertheless enjoy the relaxed traspiés to En lo de Laura (1943) or Señores, yo soy del centro (1945).

A pan y agua

Maxim Izvekov and Elena Kuznetsova 2. Fernet Night. 2016

a particularly weird number with chanting and a milonga break after wild piano strumming

Tres esquinas

Oscar Casas & Jesica Arfenoni - Portland -  2020

Muñequita (1944)

with many pictures

Café Dominguez

Javier Rodriguez & Fatima Vitale- TanGo to İstanbul 2019

one of D'Agostino's titles, which is regularly chosen for show performances

Date

Title

Genre

Singer

13.11.40

No aflojés

Tango

Ángel Vargas

13.11.40

Muchacho

Tango

Ángel Vargas

24.07.41

Un copetín

Tango

Ángel Vargas

24.07.41

Tres esquinas

Tango

Ángel Vargas

09.09.41

Ahora no me conocés

Tango

Ángel Vargas

09.09.41

Adiós arrabal

Tango

Ángel Vargas

20.10.41

Sólo compasión

Tango

Ángel Vargas

20.10.41

Compadreando

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

05.11.41

Una pena

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.11.41

Traiga otra caña

Tango

Ángel Vargas

13.11.41

El choclo

Tango

Ángel Vargas

13.11.41

Agua florida

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.12.41

Qué me pasará

Vals

Ángel Vargas

12.12.41

El yacaré

Tango

Ángel Vargas

1942

El cuarteador

Tango

Ángel Vargas

16.03.42

Notas de bandoneón

Tango

Ángel Vargas

16.03.42

Adiós para siempre

Tango

Ángel Vargas

07.04.42

Viejo coche

Tango

Ángel Vargas

07.04.42

Pobre gallo bataraz

Estilo

Ángel Vargas

07.04.42

Gorriones

Tango

Ángel Vargas

23.04.42

Un tropezón

Tango

Ángel Vargas

23.04.42

Entre copa y copa

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

22.05.42

Esquinas porteñas

Vals

Ángel Vargas

22.05.42

Dice un refrán

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.06.42

Guitarra que llora

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.06.42

Trasnochando

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.07.42

Un lamento

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.07.42

Al volverte a ver

Tango

Ángel Vargas

11.08.42

Gil a rayas

Tango

Instrumental

02.09.42

Hay que vivirla…compadre!

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.09.42

Pero…yo sé

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.10.42

De salto y carta

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.10.42

La chiflada

Tango

Instrumental

29.10.42

Noviecita mía

Tango

Ángel Vargas

29.10.42

Oiga mozo

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.11.42

Llora vida mía

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.11.42

Así me gusta a mí

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

17.11.42

Yo tengo una novia

Vals

Ángel Vargas

14.12.42

Todo terminó

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.12.42

Ninguna

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.12.42

Barrio de tango

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.03.43

El trece

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.03.43

En lo de Laura

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

20.03.43

No creas

Tango

Ángel Vargas

23.03.43

El Porteñito

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.04.43

Madre hay una sola

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.04.43

Me llaman tango

Tango

Ángel Vargas

10.06.43

El trompito

Tango

Ángel Vargas

10.06.43

Tomo y obligo

Tango

Ángel Vargas

10.08.43

A las siete en el café

Tango

Raúl Aldao

10.08.43

Ronda de tango

Tango

Raúl Aldao

10.08.43

Y te dejé partir

Tango

Raúl Aldao

09.09.43

Un tango argentino

Tango

Ángel Vargas

09.09.43

Cardo azul

Estilo

Ángel Vargas

09.09.43

Qué lento corre el tren

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.11.43

La carreta

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.11.43

Cantando olvidaré

Tango

Ángel Vargas

15.11.43

El cornetín del tranvía

Tango

Ángel Vargas

05.12.43

Gran muñeca

Tango

Instrumental

05.12.43

De pura cepa

Tango

Instrumental

31.01.44

Quién tuviera dieciocho años

Tango

Ángel Vargas

31.01.44

Esta noche en Buenos Aires

Tango

Ángel Vargas

09.03.44

El espejo de tus ojos

Vals

Ángel Vargas

09.03.44

Mano blanca

Tango

Ángel Vargas

05.04.44

Así era el tango

Tango

Ángel Vargas

05.04.44

Más solo que nunca

Tango

Ángel Vargas

05.04.44

Como el hornero

Tango

Ángel Vargas

26.05.44

Su carta no llegó

Tango

Ángel Vargas

25.05.44

El poncho del olvido

Tango

Ángel Vargas

19.07.44

Muñequita

Tango

Ángel Vargas

19.07.44

Todos te quieren

Milonga

Instrumental

08.08.44

Mi viejo barrio

Tango

Ángel Vargas

08.08.44

La última cita

Tango

Ángel Vargas

13.09.44

La nueva vecina

Tango

Ángel Vargas

13.09.44

Palais de Glace

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.11.44

Rosita la santiagueña

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.12.42

Ninguna

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.12.42

Barrio de tango

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.03.43

El trece

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.03.43

En lo de Laura

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

20.03.43

No creas

Tango

Ángel Vargas

23.03.43

El Porteñito

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.04.43

Madre hay una sola

Tango

Ángel Vargas

30.04.43

Me llaman tango

Tango

Ángel Vargas

21.05.45

Gran Hotel Victoria (Hotel Victoria)

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Porque me siento feliz

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Menta y cedrón

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Caricias

Tango

Ángel Vargas

07.08.45

A quién le puede importar?

Tango

Ángel Vargas

27.08.45

Bailarín de contraseña

Tango

Ángel Vargas

27.08.45

Pinta blanca

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.10.45

A pan y agua

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.10.45

Tristeza criolla

Vals

Ángel Vargas

02.11.45

De igual a igual

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.11.45

Rondando tu esquina

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.11.45

No vendrá

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.11.45

Ave de paso

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.11.45

La cumparsita

Tango

Ángel Vargas

08.02.46

Serpentinas de esperanza

Tango

Ángel Vargas

29.03.46

Racing Club

Tango

Instrumental

29.03.46

Destellos

Tango

Ángel Vargas

12.07.46

Con sabor a tango

Tango

Instrumental

12.07.46

El Morocho y el Oriental

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

10.09.46

Demasiado tarde

Tango

Ángel Vargas

10.09.46

Camino del Tucumán

Tango

Ángel Vargas

10.06.47

Alma de bohemio

Tango

Tino García

10.06.47

Era en otro Buenos Aires

Tango

Tino García

18.12.51

El trece

Tango

Tino García

18.12.51

Carnavales de mi vida (Mosca muerta)

Tango

Tino García

24.01.52

Bailarín compadrito

Tango

Tino García

24.01.52

Mi distinguida pebeta

Tango

Rubén Cané

21.05.45

Gran Hotel Victoria (Hotel Victoria)

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Porque me siento feliz

Milonga

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Menta y cedrón

Tango

Ángel Vargas

17.07.45

Caricias

Tango

Ángel Vargas

07.08.45

A quién le puede importar?

Tango

Ángel Vargas

27.08.45

Bailarín de contraseña

Tango

Ángel Vargas

02.02.53

Cascabelito

Tango

Ricardo Ruíz

02.02.53

Esquinas porteñas

Vals

Rubén Cané

02.02.53

Polvorín

Tango

Rubén Cané

02.02.53

No aflojés

Tango

Rubén Cané

10.08.53

Gil a rayas

Tango

Instrumental

10.08.53

Adiós Arolas (Se llamaba Eduardo Arolas)

Tango

Rubén Cané

03.09.53

El cocherito

Tango

Rubén Cané

03.09.53

Muchacho

Tango

Rubén Cané

26.01.54

Tiento crudo

Tango

Rubén Cané y Tino García

26.01.54

La sonámbula

Tango

Instrumental

19.02.54

Carnaval de mi barrio

Tango

Rubén Cané

19.02.54

Cómo querés que te quiera

Tango

Tino García

16.08.55

Café Domínguez

Tango

Instrumental

16.08.55

Ella

Vals

Tino García

25.04.59

La barranca

Tango

Tino García

25.04.59

La violetera

Tango

Roberto Alvar

16.09.59

Ángel Vargas (el ruiseñor)

Tango

Roberto Alvar

16.09.59

Corazón cobarde

Tango

Tino García

1962

Mi viejo Buenos Aires

Tango

Tino García

1962

Yo soy el tango señores

Tango

Roberto Alvar

1962

El bar de Rosendo

Tango

Tino García

1962

Gerardo Matos Rodríguez

Tango

Tino García

06.05.63

Mi viejo Buenos Aires

Tango

Tino García

06.05.63

Gil a rayas

Tango

Instrumental

20.05.63

Mi chiquita

Tango

Raúl Lavié

20.05.63

Yo te canto Buenos Aires

Tango

Raúl Lavié