Tango Jalousie

Item details

• Description +

  • Duration: 3 min.
    
    Copyright © 1925 Warny’s Musikforlag for DK, N, S 
    Printet with permission by Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, København
    
    Jacob Gade's Tango Jalousie is the best known piece of music ever written by a Dane. As late as the 1970s it was estimated that every minute of the day someone somewhere in the world was playing Tango Jalousie; only the Beatles' Yesterday could for a time match its popularity - and till this day it's still one of the most often played tunes in the world according to The annual Performing Rights Society. 
    
    Gade himself told how he was inspired to write the melody that was to shape his life: “One day the papers were filled with sensational descriptions of a crime of passion, a jealousy-murder, which made such an impression on me that I could not stop thinking about it. During my morning walk across the fields, however, I came to the sensible conclusion that the horrifying drama was really none of my business, so it faded gradually into the background. Nevertheless the word “jealousy” stuck in my mind as a title to which notes began to attach themselves. When I got home I sat down at my desk and after a few hours Tango Jalousie was finished.” The title Jalousie, Tango Tsigane, spelt in the French manner, emphasizes the international character of the tune. “Tsigane” (Gypsy) refers primarily to the virtuoso introduction for solo violin, which sounds almost improvised. The tango can be regarded as falling into two main parts, the first characterized by the temperamental theme in d minor and the second by the lyrical, refrain-like D major melody which is repeated. Both themes are cast in the rhythm of the tango and distinguished by a strong melodic profile. 
    
    Even though Tango Jalousie was originally used for a silent film Don Q, Son of Zorro, it has later been used for countless other movies, among others Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” (1997) and the British film “The Full Monty” (1998). Arthur Fiedler’s recording with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1938 on the Victor label, also played a big role in further consolidating the success of the tango, as well as a recording by American singer Frankie Laine’s recording from 1953; both recordings passing the magic number of one million copies sold. Since then the piece has continued to enjoy a phenomenal success with innumerable other recordings and performances. 
    
    Jacob Gade lived to experience this world-wide success. During the later years of a long life he was able to enjoy the sweets of fame in the knowledge that he had created one of the most popular and most performed melodies ever written. 
    
    by Jacob Gades Foundation

• Instrumentation +

  • Marimba (5-octave)

• Watch+

  • Performed by Ronni Kot Wenzell
    
    

     

    Performed by Vivi Vassileva
    
    

     

    Performed by Alex Howley
    
    

• About the composer +

  • Jacob Thune Hansen Gade (1879 – 1963) was a Danish violinist and composer, mostly of orchestral popular music. He is remembered today for a single tune, the familiar "Jalousie", also known as Jalousie 'Tango Tzigane' and Tango Jalousie.

• Credits +

  • Copyright © 1925 Warny’s Musikforlag for DK, N, S 
    Printed with permission by Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, København
    
    Front Cover graphics and layout: Gaia Gomes
    Engraving: Johan Svitzer
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

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