Piazzolla’s Nightclub 1960 : a viola/cello transcription with historical notes and performance guide

Astor Piazzolla’s iconic invention of el nuevo tango should be made available for a wider range of instrumentalists to play. By completing this project, I provide a cross-cultural opportunity that rarely exists for viola. This diversifies the range of musicians Nightclub 1960 can be performed by, while shedding light on not only the process of transcription, but also on tango-specific unwritten traditions that create the tango sound and gestures we all associate with traditional, authentic tango. The main objective of this study was to describe and analyze the process of transcribing Piazzolla’s Nightclub 1960 from flute/guitar to viola/cello. In addition to the transcription, I describe the process of adapting the piece from its original instrumentation to a string duo. I also include a historical context of the work to assist in the performance of el nuevo tango