Modern Berimbau

Title: Berimbau Orchestra Part 1

Artist: Ramiro Musotto & The Berimbau Modern Orchestra in Grenoble, France - 2005

Origin: Brazil

Instrumentation: Berimbau Gunga, Berimbau Medio, Berimbau Violin


For this week, we look at the role of music in socialization. In Brazil, capoeira and its music was originally associated with thugs and "riff-raff" and considered a lower social class form of music and art form. Though the efforts of the Capoeira Mestres and other capoeiristas, this art form broke though those social barriers and is practiced by people of all social classes.

Title: My Time
Performers: Space Coast Steel
Culture: Trinidad
Instrumentation: Steel Band

This week's readings talks about strategies for "creating world music" .  THe strategy I find the most accessible to me is re-creating or arranging popular calypsos from Trinidad. This arrangement is of the Calypso My Time, by the Calypsonian Calypso Rose.  I wrote it for my students seen in this video.  My experience has taught me tht if your can re-create the music of your target culture as authentically as possible, then the students will develop a deeper understanding and respect for the music and the culture.  I hope you enjoy the music as much as we had playing it and I had writing it.

Title: Samba Oba Concert, Florida State University, Spring 2001

Performers: Samba Oba, Brazilian Ensemble

Orchestration: Tambourine, pandiero, surdo, guica, bomba, berimbau

This week's reading deals with authenticity. The performance seen here directly relates to Swanwick's understanding of authenticity: Reproduction, Reality and Relevance.  At Florida State, great efforts are made to reproduce and perform the music of Brazil with the utmost detail as it is performed in the native homeland.  The relevance is that both traditional and modern forms of Brazilian music are performed on the concerts.  This gives the students a direct "link" or connection to the music.  All parts are peformed on traditional Samba instruments and taught by a certified instructor, usually from Brazil, or someone who has thoroughly studied the music and is qualified to teach it..  Enjoy!!

Timbalada!

Title: Timbalada
Performers: Timbalada Escola da Samba
Origin: Brazil
Instrumentation: Samba instruments

In Brazil, Samba is an integral part of Carnaval!  The structure of this music piece is based upon ostinato rhythm patterns that are interchanged and with several call and responses. The context of  the structure is to provide a dance and movement for the Brazilian people to celebrate and to parade to. Samaba is the rhythm of life!  Please enjoy!