Brazil

__**Music Of Brazil **__

Globally, Brazil is identified by its diverse culture in comparison to other countries. This is greatly reflected in their society, language, religion and food. A large aspect of their diversity is in the form of music. __**Styles Of Brazilian Music **__ Brazilian music comes in many shapes, styles and forms, with it’s two most commonly known styles being Samba and Bossa Nova. Samba is also extremely renowned globally, as it is filmed and publicized through the well-known carnaval festival. Samba is derived from a dense Africa style mixed with a slight Portuguese and Indian influence. Samba is essentially the heartbeat of carnaval. Bossa Nova is a globally recognised Brazilian music style. The style really took off when Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Morae created the song Garota de Ipanema (also known as The Girl From Impanema). The composition is the second most listened to track worldwide. It become popular in the 1960’s and many international performers like Frank Sinatra, Cher, Madonna and Amy Winehouse made their own covers of this piece, helping the increase in popularity of Bossa Nova. Bossa Nova is a mix of Samba and American Jazz.

Despite their overwhelming success, Samba and Bossa Nova are not the only musical styles derived from Brazil. Other styles include: Sertanejo, Pagoda, Tropicalia, Choro, Maracatu, Embolada, Frevo, Forro, Axe, Brega and Brazilian versions of foreign musical genres, such as Brazillian rock and rap.

__**Musical instruments that are typical to Brazilian music: **__ In its early days, Brazilian music only consisted of flutes, horns, whistles, and rattles, with the accompaniment of hand clapping and foot stomping which were the main percussive “instruments”. The variety of instruments grew over the centuries and the Brazilian music was slightly changed, as you would expect, with the introduction of new instruments. Some of the more common of these newly introduced instruments include: Apito Bahian guitar Cavaco Chocalho <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Double cow bell <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">the panpipe || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ilu (drum) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pandeiro <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Rabeca <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reco-reco <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Viola caipira <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Agogo <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reco-reco || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Viola de buriti <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Viola de cocho <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Viola de Queluz ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">4-string banjo

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">See below for some photographs.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Four String Banjo <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Viola de Queluz <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Double cow bell <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reco-reco <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Cavaco <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ilu <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pandeiro <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> __**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">How is music used in the Brazilian culture? **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Brazilian folk music is a combination of Indian chants and rituals. This is added with an African flavour from the introduction of slaves, as well as an Italian effect from its coastal towns. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Brazilian music is the heartbeat of a diverse range of Brazilian cultural events from family outings to the almighty carnaval. Choreographed dance routines are common for some of the most well known pieces. These dances have been passed down through generations and have cultural names such as: the Batuque, Coco, Congada, Jongo, Lundu, and the Maracatu. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Batuque is used in concert dances and balls which is usually performed by an orchestra. It is danced by people forming a circle. This is accompanied by drums, clapping and making sound with pieces of materials such as iron, glass and wood. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Jongo is accompanied only by drums. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Lundu is a song and dance accompanied by guitars. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Congada comes in several styles, ranging from two instrumentalist to an entire orchestra. In embraces the art of shouting out short and punchy phrases. In orchestral from it can sound similar to the Batuque style.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">An example of a typical Brazilian folk song is a well known song called Cae, Cae, Balao. This song accompanies the game of sending a balloon flying into the air. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">media type="youtube" key="ztN9L8cq9-k" width="420" height="315"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In Brazil, music composed for smaller children is a huge part of their folklore. There are several different types of childrens music but the most common of them all are Rodas. Essentially, Rodas are children’s marching songs.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Those citizens that live in the jungle have continued to promote their music art style. The Indians hold the rites of Yurupari. The blacks of Brazil practice the ritual of the Macumba. These two rites/rituals have led onto many Brazilian dances that are still performed today.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Finally, people worldwide fly to Brazil for one intention, Carnaval. Participants in Samba schools sing and dance on floats in city street parades to celebrate the occasion. Carnaval is a public display of Brazilian music at its best. Brazilian history and folklore are told through singing on this event. Organizations, businesses and small shops all close for the celebration and children are also dismissed out of school for the Brazilian holiday.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">GENERAL ANALYSIS OF BRAZILIAN MUSIC: **__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Duration <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Brazilian music often embraces the art of syncopation and accents as rhythmic devices to produce a catchy repetitive riff in their cultural melodies. The rhythm of the music is non-harmonic with short phrases and is separated by long holds. Time signatures vary through the differentiation of pieces.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Texture <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Percussive instruments such as the Surdo (a membranophone), are paramount in holding a bass riff in Brazilian music. Brazilian tunes use a variety of melodies, accompaniment and bass to convey the identifiable “Brazilian” sound.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pitch <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The complete range of the music is based upon the pentatonic scale. In all Brazilian folk songs the major mode is the most predominant. Vocals are usually bass, tenor or alto and rarely are sopranos used to convey the Brazilian theme of music.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Dynamics <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Dynamics of Brazilian Music relies heavily on the duration of notes and the intensity of the percussive instruments. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">These instruments are usually played in Staccato to the typical percussive Brazilian feel.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Tone Colour <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The overall sound of Brazilian music is generally bright and lively, especially in Carnaval. Brazilian music usually exhibits membranophones, idiophones and aerophones for this effect.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Structure <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As you would expect, different pieces of Brazilian music have different structures. These can range from binary to rondo. Motifs and/or repeated patterns are common for both the instruments and the vocalists in Brazilian music.

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Bibliography **__

Yale.edu, (2014). 00.05.03: Brazilian Culture through Music. [online] Available at: http://yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000/5/00.05.03.x.html [Accessed 18 Aug. 2014].

Wikipedia, (2014). Music of Brazil. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Brazil [Accessed 17 Aug. 2014].

Ilich, T. (2014). Brazil. [online] About. Available at: http://latinmusic.about.com/od/southameric1/p/PRO13BASIC.htm [Accessed 19 Aug. 2014].

Lad, K. (2014). History of Brazilian Music. [online] Buzzle. Available at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-brazilian-music.html [Accessed 19 Aug. 2014].