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| Brazilian popular music | |
|---|---|
| Name | Brazilian popular music |
| Native name | Música popular brasileira |
| Stylistic origins | Samba, Bossa Nova, Choro, Forró, Frevo, MPB, Afro-Brazilian traditions |
| Cultural origins | 19th–20th century Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador |
| Instruments | Guitar, cavaquinho, pandeiro, violão, surdo, accordion, berimbau |
| Popularity | National and international |
| Subgenres | Samba, Bossa Nova, MPB, Tropicália, Forró, Sertanejo, Axé, Pagode |
Brazilian popular music is an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of musical styles that emerged in Brazil from the 19th century to the present, rooted in African, European, and Indigenous traditions. It influenced and was influenced by cultural movements in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Salvador, spreading globally through performance, recording, and media industries. Key scenes include genres such as samba, bossa nova, forró, tropicália, and MPB, which intersect with artists, labels, festivals, and institutions across Brazil.
The development traces back to 19th-century urban genres like choro in Rio de Janeiro and Afro-Brazilian religious music in Salvador, shaped by migrations linked to the abolition of slavery and urbanization in the First Republic era. Early 20th-century recording industries in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro promoted composers from the Revista and Carnival circuits, while radio networks such as Radio Nacional amplified stars associated with samba-enredo and marchinha. Post-World War II modernization saw the crystallization of bossa nova in the late 1950s with concert venues in Copacabana and studios tied to labels like Odeon and Philips Brasil, before the cultural rupture of the 1960s linked to the 1964 coup and artistic responses epitomized by Tropicália.
Prominent strands include urban samba and its commercial offshoots such as pagode and samba-enredo, alongside the intimate harmonic language of bossa nova pioneered in clubs and salons. Northeastern genres like forró, xote, and baião came from composers such as Luiz Gonzaga, later evolving into commercial sertanejo and arrocha scenes centered in Minas Gerais and Goiás. Carnival-derived forms include frevo and marchinha from Recife and Salvador, while Afro-Brazilian-rooted genres such as axé and samba-reggae emerged from groups in Bahia like Ilê Aiyê and Olodum. Experimental currents include Tropicália and later fusion genres integrating jazz, rock, and electronic elements related to artists associated with MPB and independent labels.
Foundational composers and performers include Pixinguinha, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Noel Rosa, and Cartola, while mid-20th-century innovators feature João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, and Elis Regina. The Tropicália movement included Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, and Gal Costa, reacting to cultural censorship during the military regime. Later influential figures are Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Djavan, Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa, and contemporary stars such as Anitta, Ivete Sangalo, Marisa Monte, and Seu Jorge. Ensembles and collectives—Orquestra Imperial, Novos Baianos, Secos & Molhados—and producers tied to labels like Som Livre and Trama Records shaped recording aesthetics and national hits.
Music served as a site for identity construction in urban neighborhoods like Lapa and Salvador’s Pelourinho, influencing social movements such as black cultural activism through Ilê Aiyê and Olodum and labor and student protests during the Diretas Já campaign. Internationally, the 1960s bossa nova wave — aided by tours in New York City, collaborations with Stan Getz, and releases on labels like Verve Records — positioned Brazilian artists within global jazz and pop markets. Government cultural agencies including IPHAN recognized regional music forms, while festivals like Rock in Rio and Festival de Parintins showcased cross-genre exchange and tourism impact.
Instrumentation blends stringed instruments—violão (Classical guitar), cavaquinho, and acoustic guitar—with percussion such as the pandeiro, surdo, and tamborim, alongside Afro-Brazilian instruments like the berimbau used in capoeira contexts. Harmonic traits draw from European art music and American jazz as in bossa nova chordal sophistication, while rhythmic patterns derive from African diasporic polyrhythms exemplified in samba and samba-reggae. Performance practice emphasizes syncopation, call-and-response as in capoeira and candomblé-related ceremonies, and improvisation in choro virtuosity.
Major labels such as EMI Brasil, Som Livre, Warner Music Brasil, and Sony Music Brazil dominate commercial production, while independent labels including Carlinhos Brown-affiliated projects and Trama Records foster niche genres. Radio networks like Radio Nacional and TV programs including Programa Raul Gil and Fantástico historically propelled national hits, complemented by streaming platforms and festivals for digital distribution. Copyright institutions like ECAD regulate royalties, and marketplaces in cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro sustain live-music economies.
Regional centers—Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, and Belém—host distinct traditions: frevo and maracatu in Recife; axé and samba de roda in Salvador; forró and xaxado in Northeast sertão towns; Amazonian rhythms like carimbó in Pará; and the folk-influenced samba de breque and pagode strains in Rio de Janeiro. Regional festivals—Carnival, Recife Carnival, Festival de Parintins—function as focal points for local repertoires, community identity, and interregional exchange.
Category:Music of Brazil