African Influences in Brazilian Music

1
African Influences in Brazilian Music
2
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

3
General Characteristics of West
African/Afro-Brazilian Music

• Dense textures
• Interlock
• Rhythmic complexity (polyrhythm)
• Open-ended forms
• Structure based on melodic/rhythmic ostinato
  patterns
• Music as means of communal participation

4
Candomblé
5
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
• Call and response
• Polyrhythms
• Open-ended forms
• Specific rhythms for each orixá
• Hierarchy of drums

6
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

7
Capoeira
Afro-Brazilian art form combining music, dance
and martial arts
8
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

9
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)
• Malíciacunning, trickery (ex. Benção)

10
SambaTudo 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

11
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

12
Samba Batucada

• Instruments of the Batería
• Surdo drums (basic pulse in 2 divided among three
  sizes of surdo)
• Pandeiro (sixteenth-note division)
• Cuíca (accents)
• Tamborim (syncopation)
• Caíxa (snare drum)

13
Samba Batucada Rhythms
14
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

15
Instruments of Choro

• Violão (6- and 7-string)
• Cavaquinho
• Pandeiro
• Melody instrument (flute, clarinet, bandolim,
  saxophone)

16
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)

17
Choro and Villa-Lobos

• Heitor Villa-Lobos (1857-1959)
• Choro is the integral translation of the
  Brazilian soul in the form of music

18
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