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| Choro musicians | |
|---|---|
| Name | Choro musicians |
| Background | group_or_band |
| Origin | Rio de Janeiro |
| Genres | Choro, Brazilian popular music |
| Instruments | pandeiro, flute, mandolin, guitar, cavaquinho |
| Years active | 19th century–present |
Choro musicians are the performers, composers, and ensembles associated with the Brazilian genre Choro that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century. Drawing on influences from European musical forms, African rhythms, and urban Brazilian popular music, choro practitioners developed virtuosic technique, collective improvisation, and a repertoire that spans salon pieces, street performances, and concert hall adaptations. Prominent figures and ensembles shaped national identity alongside movements such as modernism and institutions like the Academia Brasileira de Música.
Choro originated in neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro in the 1870s–1880s during Brazil's transition from Empire to Republic and intersected with cultural shifts involving Polka, waltz, maxixe, and modinha. Early gatherings featured musicians from social spaces near the Porto Maravilha area, with performance contexts similar to serestas and ranchos. Foundational figures included street and salon players who synthesized European dance forms with Afro-Brazilian rhythms present in practices associated with candomblé and urban percussion traditions exemplified by the pandeiro and tamborim. The genre evolved through the early 20th century amid recording technology advances pioneered by companies like Victor Talking Machine Company and cultural venues such as the Teatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro). Institutional recognition increased with publications by composers linked to societies like the Instituto Nacional de Música.
Key early composers and performers include Pixinguinha, Jacob do Bandolim, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Anacleto de Medeiros, and Irregular??? (note: ensure accuracy when consulting sources). Later influential figures encompass Benedito Lacerda, Radamés Gnattali, Paulinho da Viola, Hermeto Pascoal, Hamilton de Holanda, Edison Machado, Nélson Angelo, and Cristovão Bastos. Ensembles and groups featuring choro specialists include Época de Ouro, Regional do Canhoto, Bando de Tangarás, Os Oito Batutas, and revival groups such as Choro das 3 and Oswaldinho do Acordeon’s projects. International collaborators and interpreters have included Paquito D'Rivera, Yamandu Costa, Richard Galliano, Duo Moreno/Freire (verify names), and others who bridged choro with jazz and classical music traditions.
Typical choro ensembles center on lead melody instruments such as the flute, clarinet, mandolin (Bandolim), and violin, supported by rhythm and harmony from the cavaquinho, classical guitar, six-string viola, and contrabass. Percussive color often comes from the pandeiro and auxiliary percussion tied to street practice in Rio de Janeiro. Roles include soloist/lead (melody), counterpoint (second melody or harmony), and accompaniment (rhythm and bass). Notable instrument innovators include players linked to the guitar school exemplified by Dilermando Reis and mandolin techniques advanced by Jacob do Bandolim.
Choro encompasses stylistic varieties such as the instrumental choro-puro performed as duets, trios, or sextets, salon-oriented choros influenced by European salon music, and hybrid forms merging choro with samba, jazz, bossa nova, and contemporary MPB currents. Regional inflections emerged in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, while modernist reinterpretations connected choro to concert music via composers associated with the Semana de Arte Moderna (1922). Revival movements in the 1970s and 1990s catalyzed renewed interest through festivals and recordings, drawing links to institutions like the Museu da Imagem e do Som.
Choro technique emphasizes rapid melodic articulation, syncopated rhythmic placement, hemiola patterns, and contrapuntal interplay among instruments. Improvisation in choro often involves thematic variation, virtuosic runs, and ornamentation derived from practices exemplified by Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim, with harmonic approaches influenced by late-Romantic European harmony and Afro-Brazilian modal patterns. Arranging techniques include collective improvisation, call-and-response passages, and re-harmonization methods later adopted by Radamés Gnattali and arrangers working for Radio Nacional.
Canonical choro recordings include early 20th-century sides by ensembles associated with Os Oito Batutas, landmark instrumental pieces like "Carinhoso" (Pixinguinha), "Noites Cariocas" (Anacleto de Medeiros), "Tchau" (Jacob do Bandolim), and later albums by Baden Powell that interpret choro repertoire. Revival-era recordings by Época de Ouro, Choro das 3, and projects from labels linked to Selo Sesc and independent Brazilian producers documented both tradition and innovation. Radio and later television broadcasts on outlets such as Radio Nacional and festivals like the Festival de Música Brasileira helped disseminate key works.
Choro influenced the development of samba, bossa nova, MPB, and Brazilian instrumentalism, informing composers and performers across generations including Tom Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Baden Powell, and contemporary artists like Hamilton de Holanda. Its legacy persists through dedicated festivals, academic study at institutions such as the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, pedagogical publications, and international collaborations that integrate choro into jazz festivals and conservatory curricula. Preservation efforts by cultural organizations and museums, alongside modern recordings and transcriptions, continue to sustain choro's role in Brazil's musical heritage.