Milonga

A musical form and dance from the Río de la Plata region, considered a precursor of the tango. The milonga is characterised by a faster tempo and a more straightforward, earthy rhythm than the tango — typically a steady habanera or 3-3-2 pattern — with a lyrical, often melancholy melodic character. Piazzolla used the milonga as a vehicle for some of his most introspective writing, notably in the Suite del Ángel.

The milonga predates the tango, flourishing in Buenos Aires and Uruguay from the 1870s. As the tango rose to prominence in the 1900s, the milonga became one of its three sub-genres (tango, milonga, vals). In Piazzolla's nuevo tango, the milonga retained its characteristic rhythmic drive while gaining the harmonic and textural sophistication of his mature style.