The making of a tango singer

Lenore Huang

About this exposition

This research delves into the stylistic intricacies of tango singing, combining systematic analysis and practical experimentation. Motivated by a profound emotional connection to tango’s expressive power, the study spans three research cycles, examining – in addition to fraseo – interpretive tools such as tone, ornamentation, vibrato, dynamics, phonetic articulation, and special effects like speaking and sobbing, and how they relate to the delivery of text and emotion. Through these cycles, the researcher aims to deepen artistic understanding, refine stylistic execution, and ultimately shape a distinctive vocal style in the genre of tango. Across the three cycles, the research first carries out a panoramic and comparative investigation of the stylistic precedents set by early tango singers Ada Falcón, Carlos Gardel, and Charlo. Then it shifts focus to three singers of Aníbal Troilo’s orchestra – Francisco Fiorentino, Alberto Marino, and Floreal Ruiz, exploring their nuanced dynamic variation and its interplay with ornamentation. Finally, it delves into phonetic articulation and special effects like sobbing, chuckling and speaking as means of enhancing expressivity, drawing inspiration from three singers of Osvaldo Pugliese’s orchestra – Jorge Maciel, Alfredo Belusi, and Alberto Morán. Selected recordings are analyzed through transcription and text annotation, and re-enactment is used throughout the research process as the method of experimentation. Each cycle ends with a recording of the researcher’s performance of a piece, culminating in a rendition of Pasional as the final research outcome. By exploring a wide variety of interpretive parameters, the research fills the research gap in the field of tango singing where existing musical studies center on fraseo. It identified a considerable number of characteristics that are important to tango singing and developed practice approaches serving to internalize these features as part of one’s musical intuition. It should be possible for fellow students of tango singing to use the methodology presented in the research as a template to achieve these results for themselves.

type	research exposition
keywords	Tango music, Vocal interpretation, Ada Falcon, Carlos Gardel, Charlo, Francisco Fiorentino, Alberto Marino, Floreal Ruiz, Jorge Maciel, Alfredo Belusi, Alberto Moran
date	22/09/2025
published	22/09/2025
last modified	22/09/2025
status	published
affiliation	Codarts, University for the Arts
copyright	(c) Lenore Huang
license	All rights reserved
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3878140/3878141
published in	Codarts
portal issue	Codarts Artistic Research Reports.
external link	www.codarts.nl

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The making of a tango singer (2025)

Copyrights

name	Lenore Huang - Artistic Research Report
copyright	(c) Lenore Huang
license	All rights reserved
usages	pdf