African Influences in Brazilian
Music
Slave Trade
•1538-1850: approx. 3.5 million slaves from Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Congo,
Mozambique (incl.Yoruba, Ewe, Fon).
•1850: slave trade abolished
•1871: Law of the Free Womb
•1888: Slavery abolished
General Characteristics of West
African/Afro-Brazilian Music
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Dense textures
Interlock
Rhythmic complexity (polyrhythm)
Open-ended forms
Structure based on melodic/rhythmic
ostinato patterns
• Music as means of communal participation
Candomblé
Aspects of Candomblé
• Afro-Brazilian religion
• Worship of hierarchy of orixás: deities
• Ceremonies: involves dancing, drumming,
singing (in Yoruban), to invite orixás to manifest
(spirit possession)
• Musical characteristics:
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Call and response
Polyrhythms
Open-ended forms
Specific rhythms for each orixá
Hierarchy of drums
Master Drummer
• Candomblé: three drums (atabaque) in
hierarchical relationship; directed by
master drummer
• Is oldest male initiate,lead singer,plays any
drum he desires; responsible for
facilitating spirit possession
• Plays improvised patterns against
rhythmic ostinato patterns of other drums
• Drums considered sacred: “drum baptism”
Capoeira
Afro-Brazilian art form combining
music, dance and martial arts
Capoeira
• Instruments:
– Berimbau: musical bow
with shaker
– Pandeiro: similar to
tambourine, played with
hands
– Atabaque drums: similar to
conga drums, played with
hands
– Agógô: double-headed
cowbell, struck with stick
Roda de Capoeira
• Jogar = body play
– Ginga = basic movement
• Tocar = musical play
– Lead berimbau plays “toques” (rhythmic
patterns)
– Directs course of the “game”
• Brincar = verbal play (improvised song
lyrics with stock refrains)
• Malícia=cunning, trickery (ex. Benção)
Samba
“Tudo acaba em samba”
• Afro-Brazilian urban popular song/dance
form
• Origins in rural roda de samba:
– Participatory
– Accompanied by improvised songs and
percussion instruments
– Style: syncopated, call and response vocals,
open-ended forms, musical interlock, diatonic
melodies
Types of Samba
• Carnival samba (e.g. samba batucada and
samba enredo)
– Characterized by heavy percussion, songs
about themes presented in Carnival
• (Year-round) samba
– Characterized by light percussion and plucked
string accompaniment (guitar, cavaquinho)
– Songs often satiric, witty, improvised
Samba Batucada
• Instruments of the
Batería:
– Surdo drums (basic
pulse in 2 divided
among three sizes of
surdo)
– Pandeiro (sixteenthnote division)
– Cuíca (accents)
– Tamborim
(syncopation)
– Caíxa (snare drum)
Samba Batucada Rhythms
Choro
• Urban-popular instrumental
genre
• Late 19th c. in Rio de Janeiro
• Predates Carnival samba
• Considered “musicians’
music”
• Performed for hire at parties
• Played for pleasure in the
roda de choro
• Serves as “Brazilian” musical
grounding for
instrumentalists of all types
Instruments of Choro
• Violão (6- and 7string)
• Cavaquinho
• Pandeiro
• Melody instrument
(flute, clarinet,
bandolim, saxophone)
Choro Genre
• Instrumental composition in 2/4
• Based on formal structure of polka with
standard harmonic progressions
• Lively tempos; syncopation
• Some improvisation, importance of malícia
(playful competition between soloist and
accompanist)
Choro and Villa-Lobos
• Heitor Villa-Lobos
(1857-1959)
• Choro is “the integral
translation of the
Brazilian soul in the
form of music”
Choro Influence
• Played guitar in roda at music store
• Choro guitar style permeates works
– Syncopation
– Active bass lines typical of 7-string guitar in
choro
– Arpeggiated chords
– Three sixteenth-note pickup typical of choro