From the voice to the symbol: Amália and Gardel as Port song stars

In recent years, in the musical circuit of Buenos Aires, certain renowned musicians have emerged devoted to the interpretation of tangos and fados, an artistic orientation conducive to a fraternized listening to both musical genres, inevitably leading to the question of their similarities and the revision of their traditions. Although research on possible genetic influences or links is still pending, the birth of fado and tango in important port cities and their development during the 20th century, combined with new technologies for recording and sound reproduction, motivated some parallels. We believe that these, considered in comparison, allow us to analyze certain modes of behavior in urban popular song. Here, based on a comparative study of Amália Rodrigues and Carlos Gardel, iconic voices of fado and tango, we seek to analyze the roles that they play in their respective genres. We believe that a dialogical review of both figures and their (self)construction as symbol-images (Vázquez Montalbán 1972), including a consideration of film productions, enables a reflection on some aspects of the relationships between word, voice, identity and technology in the tango and the fado of the 20th century.