Information AboutSamba Music |
Samba is one of the most famous of the various forms of music arising from African roots in Brazil . The name ''samba'' most probably comes from the Angola n Semba ( Mesemba ), a religious rhythm. HISTORY Samba developed as a distinctive kind of music at the beginning of the 20th century in Rio De Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil ) under the strong influence of immigrant black people from the Brazilian state of Bahia . The title "samba school" ("escola de samba") originates from samba's formative years. The term was adopted by larger groups of samba performers in an attempt to lend acceptance of samba and its performance; local campuses were often the practice/performance grounds for these musicians and "escola" gave early performers a sense of legitimacy and organization to offset samba's somewhat controversial social atmosphere. ''"Pelo Telefone"'' ( 1917 ), by Donga and Mauro Almeida , is generally considered the first samba recording. Its great success carried the new genre outside the black Ghetto s. Who created the music is uncertain, but it was most probably the work of the group around Tia Ciata , among them Pixinguinha and João Da Bahiana . In the 1930s , a group of musicians led by Ismael Silva founded the first Samba School , Deixa Falar , in the neighborhood of Estácio De Sá . They transformed the musical genre to make it fit better the carnival parade. In this decade, the radio spread the genre's popularity all around the country, and with the support of the nationalist dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas , samba became Brazil 's "official music". In the following years, samba has developed in several directions, from the gentle Samba-canção to the drum orchestras which make the soundtrack of carnival parade. One of these new styles was the Bossa Nova , made by middle class white people. It got increasingly popular over time, with the works of João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim . In the sixties, Brazil was politically divided, and the leftist musicians of bossa nova started to gather attention to the music made in the Favela s. Many popular artists were discovered at this time. Names like Cartola , Nelson Cavaquinho , Velha Guarda Da Portela , Zé Keti , and Clementina De Jesus recorded their first albums. In the seventies, the samba got back to radios air waves. Composers and singers like Martinho Da Vila , Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho dominated the hit parade. In the beginning of the eighties, after having been sent to the underground due to styles like disco and Brazilian rock, Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was the Pagode , a renewed samba, with new instruments, like the banjo and the tantan, and a new language, more popular, filled with slangs. The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho , Almir Guineto , Grupo Fundo De Quintal , Jorge Aragão , and Jovelina Pérola Negra . Nowadays, samba is still one of the most popular musical genres in Brazil. SUB-GENRES Partido Alto Literally meaning "highly broken" (or partitioned), this phrase is often used to name the most traditional type of samba, usually played by a set of percussion instruments (usually Surdo , Pandeiro , Tamborim ) and accompanied by Cavaquinho and/or Violão . Lyrics are serious, often with poetic instances or full of historical themes. Partido Alto is often sung by choir groups and is the most African-influenced type of samba. Famous singers: Cartola , Jovelina Pérola Negra , Grupo Fundo De Quintal , Leci Brandão , Clara Nunes . Pagode This is the most widespread form of samba in Brazil. Usually sung by one singer and accompanied by Cavaquinho , Violão and at least one Pandeiro , pagode is sung at most parties and informal meetings, being quite universally found at open-air bars and cafés. Lyrics are playful, usually around love engagement or some funny stunt, often almost meaningless, more focused on aliteration than on content. Famous artists: Bezerra Da Silva , Zeca Pagodinho , Alexandre Pires , Raça Negra , Molejo Samba de Breque A now defunct type of samba that had as a distinctive feature being interpolated with spoken parts, often dialogues. Singers had to have an excellent vocal gift, as well as ability to make different voices. Lyrics usually told stories and were funny. ''Breque'' does not mean "to break": it was the old Brazilan slang for " Brake " because the songs featured many "stops". Famous artists: Moreira Da Silva Samba-Canção Radio-friendly romantic and slower variation of the rhythm, samba-canção was mostly the Brazilian counterpart to popular Latin American rhythms like Tango or Bolero (both very popular in Brazil until the 1960s. Themes ranged from lyrical to tragical. Famous artists: Ângela Maria , Nélson Gonçalves , Cauby Peixoto , Agnaldo Rayol . Samba-enredo A '' Samba-enredo '' is a song performed by a Samba School in Rio De Janeiro during its yearly Carnival parade. The term also refers to particular style of samba music typical of such songs. ''Samba-enredo'' is well known internationally due to Rio de Janeiro's longstanding status as a major tourist destination during Carnival and to the fact that many percussion groups have formed around the world inspired by this type of samba. ''Sambas-enredo'' are recorded and played on the radio during the period leading up to Carnival. They are generally perfomed by male vocalists accompanied by Cavaquinho and a large Bateria (percussion group) producing a dense, complex texture known as Batucada . They heavily emphasize the second count of the measure driven by the bass notes of the Surdo drums. Rio de Janeiro's Bateria s have provided inspiration for the formation of percussion groups around the world, especially in Western countries. These groups generally do not use vocals or cavaquinho, focusing instead on percussion grooves and numerous breaks. These groups operate year round, unlike in Brazil where activity is now confined to the months preceding Carnaval. Samba-enredo used to be played year round, though often as an exercise on virtuosity. Other Variants Bossa Nova is essentially a type of samba, played with jazz instruments and sung with softer voices. Samba-Reggae , also known as Axé Music or "Samba Duro" (Hard Samba) is a new poppish type of samba from Bahia (from 1985 onwards). Samba De Roda is a ritual dance preserved in some Bahian towns. Jongo is the Rio de Janeiro equivalent to it. OTHER FORMS Many Brazilian singers eventually recorded samba, though they were not faithful to the original character of the genre. Jorge Ben Jor for instance mixed samba with rock, funk and jazz and composed songs dealing with unusual themes, like esotherism ("Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando" -- The Alchemists are Coming) or history of India ("Taj Mahal). SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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