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| surdo | |
|---|---|
| Name | Surdo |
| Classification | Percussion instrument |
| Hornbostel-Sachs | 211.261.1 (single-skin tubular drum) |
| Developed | 20th century (Brazil) |
| Related | Bass drum (marching)],]Kettledrum, Timpani, Repinique, Caixa (drum) |
surdo The surdo is a large Brazilian hand drum central to samba, samba-reggae, axé music, and other Afro-Brazilian musical forms. It functions as the low-frequency pulse generator within percussion sections, interacting with instruments and institutions such as Escola de Samba, Salvador, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and ensembles led by figures like Dona Ivone Lara, Cartola, Martinho da Vila. The instrument's design, playing roles, and cultural history connect to transatlantic African diasporic traditions, Brazilian popular culture, and urban carnival practices.
The surdo provides the rhythmic foundation in many Brazilian percussion battery configurations, anchoring groove and tempo for dancers and singers associated with organizations like Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro, Federação das Escolas de Samba, Ilê Aiyê, and Olodum. In parade contexts such as Rio Carnival and Salvador Carnival, surdo parts interact with melodic and harmonic ensembles including bateria, samba-enredo composers, and soloists like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Maria Bethânia. As both a functional and symbolic instrument, it appears in recordings produced by labels and studios that supported artists like Jorge Ben Jor, Tim Maia, and Chico Buarque.
The surdo's lineage traces to African bass drums and Portuguese folk percussion introduced during colonial and post-colonial eras in regions like Bahia (state), Northeast Region, Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro (city). Afro-Brazilian religious and social movements—notably Candomblé, Capoeira, and carnival blocs such as Cordão da Bola Preta—shaped the drum's role. During the 20th century, musicians associated with the rise of samba, bossa nova, and later samba-reggae innovators like Carlinhos Brown and groups like Olodum adapted surdo construction and arrangement, integrating it into large-scale street parades and studio recordings for performers including Gal Costa and Milton Nascimento.
Surdos are generally large cylindrical shells with single-headed membranes; makers draw on materials used by workshops and luthiers known in Brazilian instrument-making scenes. Shells are built from woods found in regions like Bahia (state), or from metals and synthetic materials used by manufacturing firms that supply schools of samba and percussion makers associated with events like Carnival of Rio de Janeiro. Heads may be animal skin or synthetic film, tensioned by hoops and tuning rods similar to those on marching snare drum hardware. Common types by size and role include primeira (prime), segunda (responding), and terceira (marcação) drums, as employed by ensembles led by maestros from Mangueira, Portela, Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, and other schools. Modern adaptations include low-pitched concert surdos used in studio work with producers who collaborated with RCA Records (Brazil), Som Livre, and independent labels.
Players use hands or padded mallets to strike surdo heads; rhythmic patterns are interlocked with parts played on repinique, cuíca, agogô, and pandeiro in bateria arrangements pioneered by conductors and arrangers affiliated with composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos (in his percussion explorations), Ary Barroso, and contemporary arrangers in Brazilian popular music. Techniques include open-hand bass strokes, muffled taps, and heel-and-toe mallet articulations employed by professionals in samba schools like Salgueiro and Império Serrano. Leading lines are often notated in arranger archives and used in rehearsals organized by directors who coordinate with municipal cultural departments in cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In samba-enredo parades, the surdo marks the downbeat and metric cycle that supports canto and harmony provided by composers from associations like the Liesa; in samba-reggae—popularized by groups from Bahia (state)—surdo patterns interlock to create polyrhythmic textures heard on recordings by ensembles including Ilê Aiyê and Olodum. In studio contexts, surdo textures have been applied to genres ranging from MPB artists' arrangements (for example, tracks by Milton Nascimento and Caetano Veloso) to crossover works with international musicians such as Paul Simon and Sting, who incorporated Brazilian percussion into world music productions.
Prominent surdo players and ensemble leaders have emerged within major samba schools and Afro-Brazilian groups. Influential ensembles and figures include the bateria chiefs and instructors from Mangueira, Portela, Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, the creators of samba-reggae grooves in Ilê Aiyê and Olodum, and percussionists collaborating with artists like Gal Costa, Chico Science, and producers connected to studios in Salvador, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro (city). Renowned percussion educators and arrangers linked to conservatories and cultural institutes—such as those affiliated with municipal cultural foundations and music schools named after composers like Dorival Caymmi—have codified surdo techniques in pedagogical material.
Tuning involves adjusting tension rods or hoops to change membrane pitch and timbre; practitioners in samba schools maintain instrument fleets during the rehearsal season preceding Rio Carnival and Salvador Carnival. Maintenance routines—often overseen by drummakers and repair workshops operating near cultural centers and markets like those found in Centro (Rio de Janeiro), Pelourinho, and districts of São Paulo—include head replacement, shell inspection, and hardware lubrication. Professionals recommend climate-aware care to protect natural skins and wooden shells in tropical environments influenced by humidity patterns studied by researchers at institutions such as Universidade Federal da Bahia and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Category:Brazilian percussion instruments