Episode 5

Few pieces in the tango repertoire have traveled such a curious pathas La Puñalada. Today it is almost universally recognized as a milonga, a staple of dance floors and recordings. Yet its origins trace back to the tango tradition, and its transformation from tango to milonga is part of the fascinating history of Argentine tango music.

The Journey from Tango to Milonga

The music for La Puñalada (“The Stab”) was composed by Horacio ‘Pintín’ Castellanos in the early 1930s. Initially, it was conceived and performed as a slow, straightforward tango, with one of the first recordings being by Francisco Canaro, who treated it with the traditional, late 20s to early 30s style.

•  Francisco Canaro 1937 Tango 

In the 1930s the orchestras began to emphasize milonga as a distinct genre within the dance repertoire. According to tango lore, it was Rodolfo Biagi who suggested to Juan D’Arienzo that La Puñalada could be reimagined with a milonga rhythm. Biagi, always attentive to rhythm and dancer’s energy, recognized the syncopated drive hidden within Delfino’s melody.

In the mid-1930s, as the orchestras began to emphasize milonga as a distinct, fast-paced genre for the dance repertoire, everything changed. According to tango lore, it was Rodolfo Biagi who suggested to Juan D’Arienzo that La Puñalada could be completely reimagined with a faster milonga rhythm. Biagi, at a time D'Arienzo's pianist, was always attentive to pulse and the dancers’ energy, and he recognized the syncopated drive hidden within Castellanos’s melody.

When D’Arienzo’s orchestra took it up, with Biagi's energetic piano as the foundation, it became an instant, electrifying success. Its sharp accents, driving beat, and irresistible swing gave dancers exactly what they craved on the floor: speed, joy, and playfulness. The piece was first recorded as a milonga in 1937, cementing La Puñalada in the collective memory not as a tango, but as one of the most popular milongas of the Golden Age.

•  Juan D'Arienzo 1937

• Francisco Canaro 1946

•  Juan D'Arienzo 1943

•  Roberto Firpo 1949

•  Osvaldo Fresedo 1950

•  Juan D'Arienzo 1951

•  Francisco Canaro 1951

•  Juan D'Arienzo 1963

•  Donato Racciatti 1971

•  Donato Racciatti 1990 (live performance)

We're so lucky to have the original tango recording of La Puñalada to compare directly against the spirited milonga versions by various orquestas. It’s also such a treat to watch footage of Racciatti's quartet performing live in Japan! This whole journey shows us that tango’s repertoire isn't fixed in stone; it's wonderfully fluid, always shaped by the musicians’ creativity and the vibrant energy of the dancers. What feels like a “canonical” classic today might have started as a simple experiment, a fresh reinterpretation, or even a happy mistake that blossomed into tradition. That famous moment—when Rodolfo Biagi made his suggestion to Juan D'Arienzo—truly redefined this piece forever, blessing us with one of the most electrifying milongas we get to share on the dance floor.

#tango, #TangoArgentino, #tangodancer, #milonga, #milonguero, #tangodj