This post is part of the Team Challenge between Connect Live 2019 Attendees, proposed by @ermest.
Each member charged to write about a theme, but everyone contributed. This is a #teambrazil post and you can find our main post here.
I know you’ve heard about Samba. But when we say Samba, what are we talking about?
There are so many types of Samba in Brazil and abroad that you should be able to dance or “batucar” (to beat) one of these styles.
There are controversies about the origin of Samba; one version says that comes from the Arabic: “zambra” or “sambra”, that means staggers, crooked or crossed legs. Another version says that comes from the word “semba”, from the language Quimbundo, Bantu’s remaining language in Angola, which means “hit with navel”.
Regardless of the versions, in the 19th century, the black slaves parties in Bahia (state of northeastern Brazil) were called Samba. At these parties people dance to the sound of percussion instruments or any other improvised material to simulate a musical instrument.
With the expansion of these parties to other regions of the country, Samba was being modified due to the influences of other immigrant cultures found in the locations where it arrived. (Learn more about immigration in the @user_not_found ‘s text. Link below)
In the twentieth century Samba came to the first capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro - Today the capital of Brazil is Brasília (Learn more about our capital with @tzequi . Link below) and the rhythm has also become an urban cultural manifestation. In 1917, the first Samba was recorded, it called: “Pelo telefone” (through telephone). Samba started to be popular in casinos and then reached the cinema with the Portuguese-Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda.
In the 1920s, Brazilian government began a period of construction and exaltation of the national culture and they chose Samba as the national rhythm. That is why when we speak Samba is more common to think in Rio de Janeiro’s version.
However, this process of modernization and urbanization of Samba has made some groups from the capital wish to maintain the tradition born in the interior of the country, creating the “Samba de partido-alto” ; which has a different baque (rhythm), similar to those from Angola and Congo.
Also to keep the tradition, schools to learn Samba have emerged. These places were called “pagodes”. Years later “pagode” became the name of another type of Samba, which is played with a few melodic instruments, a lot of percussion and simple and improvised lyrics, such as a meeting of Samba students.
On the other hand, the less traditional artists and the middle class imported elements of foreign cultures into Samba. Out of this mix was born the Samba schools parades and a new rhythm, similar to a march; people could sing and dance while walking the streets.
An important result of this cultural mix is the most well-known variation of Samba: Bossa Nova, a fusion between Samba and jazz.
In the 1980s and 1990s, music started to have commercial characteristics and Samba also adapted to this new reality. New rhythms have appeared like: Samba-funk (yes, James Brown!); Samba-rock (Oh, yeah \m/); Samba-canção, with romantic lyrics, similar to the popular musical ballads; Samba-de-gafieira, to be danced by couples (such as waltz, tango,…); Samba-reggae, etc. Rarely a song made in Brazil does not have an element of Samba. It can be difficult to identify, but the Samba is there, present in all of them.
From now on, after this text, if you like Brazilian music - Samba artists or even our heavy metal bands, you’ll know how to “Sambar” (play or dance Samba)!
I finish with a Brazilian saying:
“Who does not like Samba is not a good person.”
Check out more posts by #TeamBrazil here!
Immigration in Brazil by @Giuliano
Brasília, our planned capital by @tzequi
#TeamBrazil main post
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