Astor Piazzolla's 100th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist José Saccone, celebrates Argentine composer and virtuosic bandoneón player Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized traditional tango to create a hybrid genre known as “nuevo tango.”

Astor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1921 and moved with his family to New York City at a young age. When his father bought him a bandoneón, an Argentine accordion-like instrument that is essential to the tango sound, he quickly became known as a child prodigy and wrote his first tango at 11. 

In 1937, he returned to Argentina where traditional tango still reigned supreme. Once home, Piazzolla actually gave up tango to study classical music and become a modernist classical composer. He traveled to Paris on a scholarship to apprentice under eminent French composer Nadia Boulanger, who prepared him for his next return home in 1955. Back in Argentina, he applied years of classical study to the tango sound and formed his band “Octeto Buenos Aires.” Coined as the “nuevo tango,” Piazolla's fresh take incorporated elements of jazz and classical music with new instruments, changing the tempo, the sound, and the tradition of dance.

Throughout his life, it’s estimated that Piazzolla wrote approximately 3,000 original compositions and recorded another 500. In honor of his 100th birthday, the Astor Piazzolla Foundation recently announced the Piazzolla Music competition for soloists and ensembles alike.

Happy birthday, Astor Piazzolla!

Guest Artist Q&A with José Saccone

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Buenos Aires-based guest artist José Saccone. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?

A. First of all, because I’ve loved Piazzolla's music since I was a kid. He had the talent and the courage to reinvent the sound of tango in a very conservative era. I think the only way to do something so bold is to believe in your work passionately. And he did it spectacularly.

~

En primer lugar, porque me encanta la música de Piazzolla desde que era niño. Tuvo el talento y el coraje para reinventar el sonido del tango en una época muy conservadora. Creo que la única forma de hacer algo tan audaz es creer apasionadamente en tu trabajo. Y lo hizo de manera espectacular.

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A. My first thought was "I'm so lucky!" and that kind of stuff. Two hours later, I began to think about the complexity of my task. Tango music is associated with a classic Argentine design known as "fileteado porteño", but Piazzolla is not traditional Tango. So I tried to redesign the "fileteado" as a metaphor for what he did with that musical style.

~

Mi primer pensamiento fue "¡Que suerte tuve!" y ese tipo de cosas. Dos horas después comencé a pensar en la complejidad de mi tarea. El tango está asociado con un diseño clásico argentino conocido como "fileteado porteño", pero Piazzolla no hizo tango tradicional. Entonces traté de rediseñar el "fileteado" como metáfora de lo que el hizo con ese estilo musical.

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A. I started drawing while listening to Piazzolla's music; that was it.

~

Me puse a dibujar escuchando Piazzolla, eso fue todo.

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A.  I would like you to listen to his music, which is the only thing that really matters. It could be a great finding!

~

Me gustaría que escuchen su música, que es lo que importa realmente. Podría ser un gran hallazgo!