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| Brazilian choro | |
|---|---|
| Name | Choro |
| Background | acoustic |
| Cultural origins | Rio de Janeiro, 19th century |
| Instruments | * Guitar * Bandolim * Cavaquinho * Pandeiro * Flute (instrument), Flute * Clarinet * Trombone |
Brazilian choro is a Brazilian musical genre and ensemble tradition that originated in Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, blending European dance forms with Afro-Brazilian rhythms and urban conviviality. Its repertoire spans instrumental virtuosity, improvisation, and lyrical melody, performed in small groups and influencing later popular genres across São Paulo, Salvador, Bahia, and international jazz scenes. Key figures and institutions helped codify choro through sheet music, recordings, and radio broadcasts, linking it to broader Brazilian cultural movements and civic festivities.
Choro emerged amid the musical melting pot of Rio de Janeiro alongside genres such as maxixe, polka, modinha, and samba, involving musicians from neighborhoods like Lapa and the port area. Early gatherings featured performers associated with venues and institutions including the Theatro Municipal, street serenades tied to families from São Cristóvão, and sheet music circulated by publishers in Centro. Pioneering ensembles performed in contexts connected to events like Carnival and alongside dancers familiar with the polka mazurka and waltz repertoires.
Choro is characterized by syncopation, counterpoint, virtuosic runs, and forms such as the , , , and the -influenced pieces. Compositions frequently use structures like AABBACCA or other multi-section formats common to 19th-century salon pieces and dance music popularized in venues tied to conservatory-trained musicians. Harmonic language often reflects practices linked to composers represented in libraries and archives such as the Biblioteca Nacional and publishing houses in Praça Onze.
Traditional choro ensembles feature the as a lead melodic voice, complemented by the and six-string for harmonic and rhythmic support, with percussion provided by the . Wind voices such as the and often carry counter-melodies or improvisations; brass and strings including and appear in larger formations. Ensembles trace instrument lineages to luthiers and makers in neighborhoods associated with markets like Saara and workshops connected to families in Fluminense regions.
Important composers and performers include figures who contributed compositions, recordings, and pedagogy associated with institutions such as the Academia Brasileira de Música and recording labels based in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Noteworthy names linked to the repertoire and performance tradition are Choro das 3-adjacent families, celebrated instrumentalists whose careers intersected with stages like Cine Odeon, radio programs on Radio Mayrink Veiga, and festivals at venues such as Teatro Municipal de São Paulo. Performers who toured internationally connected choro to artists from Paris, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, and later New York City jazz circuits.
Throughout the 20th century choro interacted with movements tied to recordings, radio, and film industries in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, influencing and being influenced by genres associated with names appearing at Sugarloaf Mountain cultural events and national broadcasts. Musicians experimented with arrangements reflecting trends from bossa nova, samba-canção, and modern jazz introduced by touring artists from United States. Educational institutions and festivals fostered transcriptions and scholarly work preserved in archives like the Museu da Imagem e do Som and collections associated with composers who bridged choro and orchestral projects.
Revival movements beginning in the late 20th century were catalyzed by festivals, ensembles, and educational programs in cities including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Recife, and Belo Horizonte, and by international tours reaching Tokyo, Lisbon, London, and New York City. Contemporary practitioners collaborate with artists from jazz, classical music, and world music scenes, producing recordings distributed by labels with offices in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and programming in venues like Theatro Municipal and cultural centers in Museu Nacional de Belas Artes. Transnational ensembles and conservatory curricula have incorporated choro studies alongside repertoire from composers whose manuscripts are held at the Arquivo Nacional and university music departments in Brazil and abroad.
Category:Brazilian music genres