“Introduction into the Music of Brazil”
If you have ever walked the streets of Brazil or been to a Brazilian beach you can see how the people are full of energy and happy, the music is in their blood, in the way they walk, talk, dance and love. Brazilians are very passionate about music and it is part of their culture.
Wherever you go in Brazil you will find people playing, signing and dancing to many different forms of music. For most Brazilians, music is more than just listening to a song. It accompanies them everyday in a variety of things they do. Music helps them celebrate life and inspires happiness.
Brazil has a rich musical heritage and it plays a role both in everyday life in Brazil and in all types of celebrations, it is the result of different cultures which have created and shape a variety of unique and original Brazilian music styles.
Brazil music encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, lambada, choro, bossa nova, frevo, forró, maracatu, MPB, funk carioca, sertanejo, Brazilian rock, pagode, axé, brega, and others.
When most people think of Brazil music the first thing that might come to their mind is samba. Samba is the most well-known musical style of Brazil, known for its energetic and unique rhythm that is often accompanied by dancing. It is often considered the national musical style of Brazil as it can be seen throughout the Brazilian Carnival. But, there is so much more than just samba in Brazil.
There is a variety of different types of Brazilian music that can be heard all throughout Brazil. Brazil music is not just one specific style or genere, it is very diverse and it covers a vast array of music styles.
Brazilian Music Styles
The music of Brazil is very unique and diverse. A variety of musical forms have developed in different parts of the country, many with accompanying forms of dance to go with it.Lets take a look at some of the different Brazilian music styles that can be found around different regions of Brazil.
Samba
Samba is one of the most popular forms of music and dance in Brazil, with its unique rhythm that is characterized by its hip-swiveling style of dance, it is viewed as Brazil’s national musical style and a symbol of the Brazilian Carnival.Samba derived from African roots in Brazil. The samba was part of religious ceremonies or prayers that was done by African slaves in Brazil. The dance was brought to Brazil by Africans during the slave trade in the 16th century. It is believed that the modern term, “samba,” came from a variation of an African word, “semba,” and its exact original meaning is unclear.
In the late 19th century, samba began to evolve in Rio de Janeiro from former slaves who migrated from the state of Bahia. During this time, Samba came into contact with and incorporated other musical influences and rhythms that were played throughout the city.
After one of the first recordings of a samba tune in 1917, titled Pelo Telefone (Over the Telephone), samba became very popular and achieved great success. Samba then became the predominant musical style of Rio’s Carnival and started to spread across the country.
Samba dominated Brazilian popular music starting in the 1930s with many sub-genres of samba being created by different composers and it eventually evolved into many other types of samba as it spread across to different parts of Brazil with the the popularization of radio.
Today, there are many different kinds of samba music and dance that consists of several forms.
Other types of samba include:
- Samba de breque – reggaeish and choppy
- samba-canção – typical variety of nightclubs
- Samba pagode – modern popular variety
- Capoeira music
- Maracatu
- Afoxé
- Samba-reggae
- Music of Salvador: Late 60s to mid-70s
- Axe
- Baio
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a Brazil music style that evolved from samba. This style of music is often described as a fusion of jazz harmonies and a smoother often slower samba beat.
While Samba has its origins in the favelas, bossa nova emerged primarily from the upscale beachside neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. Bossa nova first became popular in the 1950s and the development of bossa nova is largely credited to a couple of artists including Johnny Alf, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto.
The first well-known bossa nova song that became a worldwide hit was “The Girl From Ipanema”. The song was written in 1962, with music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and the version performed by Astrud Gilberto, along with João Gilberto and Stan Getz, from the 1964 album Getz/Gilberto. It won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965 and has been performed by many famous singers over the years such as Frank Sinatra and Amy Winehouse.
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