Dali Quartet: La Cumparsita

As part of my fieldwork presentation, I have been listening to recordings of the Oscuro Quintet, a tango ensemble that resides in Philadelphia. Along the way, I found some other recordings of tango music that I really enjoyed. One that I particularly enjoy is this arrangement of "La Cumparsita" performed by the Dali Quartet. This piece was originally composed by Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodriguez and was arranged for quartet by Javier Montiel. This string quartet performance features Luigi Mazzochi and Carlos Rubio on violin, Adriana Linares on viola, and Jesus Morales on cello. 




Several arrangements of "La Cumparsita" already exist for various ensembles and playing levels which make this piece particularly accessible for students. According to Campbell (2004), re-creating music through performance is an excellent outcome of learning through listening, but creating music allows for an even deeper internalization of the sonic structures of a piece of music. Improvisation and composition can be incorporated into lessons on "La Cumparsita" in several ways. Here are a few ideas I have for activities that are inspired by some of the strategies in Campbell's (2004) chapter.

1. Extending: Campbell (2004) suggests extension of a piece as a strategy for engaging students in creating music without having to completely compose a new piece. This recording of "La Cumparsita" follows an ABACA form in which the A section melody returns but in different ways (by a different person, with a different articulation). As an activity, students may be instructed to brainstorm and rehearse a different way to perform the A section and make creative decisions on who should have the melody, who should have the rhythmic accompaniment, and how these two elements should be performed (with the bow, with pizzicato, etc).

2. Composition: At 0:30, the first violinist plays the main A melody while the second violinist plays a legato counter melody using the notes D, F#, G, E-flat, D for 8 bars and then B-flat, E-flat, G for 4 bars. These simple note patterns follow the chord progression. One suggestion Campbell (2004) has in one of the sample activities for composition and improvisation is using basic chords as a guide. In "La Cumparsita", students may be instructed to use the basic notes to create a different countermelody or to practice improvising using those notes during the main melody, while still following the legato, simple character of the original.

3. Percussive Improvisation: A third idea for creating music with "La Cumparsita" is to have students experiment with different tango string techniques such as "chicharra" or "strapata" at different moments in the piece. (Pearsall, 2016). Different variations of technique usage is present in the Dali Quartet recording. Students may want to listen carefully and analyze how the use of these techniques create "rhythm patterns" in the piece and then create their own patterns using the techniques. This activity is also useful in having students engage in some of the authentic ways to perform tango music on string instruments.

References:
Campbell, P. S. (2004). Teaching music globally. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Pearsall, C. (2016). "12 tango music techniques for string players". Retrieved from https://www.thestrad.com/12-tango-music-techniques-for-string-players/34.article

Comments

  1. Matthew SpinksNovember 18, 2017 at 5:11 PM

    Hi Kristine,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts this week. This is a really great recording you chose! As a violinist myself, and an orchestra teacher, I can see the affordances of the various strategies you had mentioned. Improvisation is so important in a music classroom and ways to implement this creative process are always varied based on the teacher. I like the example you provided where students can work on a countermelody by using those specific notes, as well as keeping the legato feel. DO you personally have any improvisational strategies that you use on a daily basis or in your classroom throughout the year? You mentioned under Extending that giving the students the opportunity to decide which section should have the melody or if they should use arco or pizzicato. I think giving students the opportunity to make decisions is extremely useful in a music program. For example, I always allow my orchestra to vote on a piece of music for a concert during the year. Additionally, when it comes time for NYSSMA solo's, I have the students decide which solo they want to learn for their performance. Making them feel like they are in charge helps them take ownership of their craft and in turn, provides for more meaningful musical experiences in their lives.

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