Samba is one of the most popular musical styles of Brazil, it first gained popularity within the favelas and then gradually around Brazil, continuing on to the rest of the world. Samba became extremely popular during the 20th Century and became introduced internationally from the 1940’s onwards. There are many variations of samba including Bossa Nova and Pagode, which all follow a similar pattern to samba. Samba music is usually quite syncopated; the key instruments used in samba are the Surdo, Pandeiro, Agogo, Afoxé, guitar and the Cavaquinho. The principal reasons for the international popularity of samba are; Brazilian Carnival, its African roots, the influence of celebrities in the twentieth century, the influence of celebrities in the …show more content…
One song that represents this is ‘Más que Nada’ which Sergio Mendes re-recorded with the Black Eyed Peas in 2006. It is an unusual take on samba- as it had the traditional components such as the drums and repetition but it was also infused with pop rhythm and rap from the Black Eyed Peas. The lyrics of this song were not sung in just Portugese as traditional samba is, they were also mixed with English to make the song more attractive in international markets as many countries speak English. This song “reached number 13 on the Billboard Dance Music Singles chart, while it made number six in the UK”.; this success in the two major Western music markets shows how through the introduction of a major band to an otherwise traditional samba song and musician shows how the cultural appropriation of traditional samba to fit into the modern markets has contributed to its success and popularity internationally. Another song is ‘Lo Hecho Está Hecho’ by Shakira, this is the Colombian version of samba mixed with electropop. The samba traits in this song are very distinctive; in the chorus there are the African drums playing, the beat is repeated and percussion instruments are used such as clapping. This song by Shakira is extremely popular worldwide, especially in the English version ‘Did it Again’; both songs have the samba influences in them and are a good way to see how samba has diversified as it has become more popular internationally. The addition of electropop to the song makes it more familiar to Western listeners and makes it more of a pop song than a traditional samba song. The influence of celebrities from both the Latin American world and the American world has helped samba to enjoy popularity internationally as the songs have been adapted and modified to fit into different cultures yet the traditional
The modernize approach of religion and traditions of the old African culture now converted into an Afro-Brazilian culture that still has an impact and exists today which is also still celebrated in Brazil. I believe that without slavery, many of the importance of both sides of society selling slaves and buying slaves would not have shaped humanity in the modern world. “Two centuries had seen African and European cultural religious and linguistic habits merging into unique Afro-Brazilian social and religious customs, music, and storytelling (Nellis 62).” The cultural influence of Afro-Brazilians has persistently grew from celebrations like carnaval into a mainstream popular culture. Brazil holds a variety of different ideas, culture and people. These ideas and traditions include musical interests, dancing, different food dishes, literature and art, festivities, and religious practices.
Brazil as a whole, contains a wide variety of distinguishing factors that contribute to its rich culture and that makes it unique, savory and incredibly interesting to learn about. From Carnival to different religious beliefs to soccer and all kinds of different music, Brazil stands out of the crowd for being original. When it comes to “Futebol” as it is called in Brazil or soccer as it is said in the United States, the Brazilian soccer team came to be and had one as a player the greatest in not just Brazil but in the greatest team and player the world has known.
The genre bachata was developed in the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic. This genre was created based on boleros (slow-tempo Latin music), son cubanos, waltzes, Mexican music and merengue. Bachata is well known as love and depressing songs in which many people describe them self with this genre. At one point back in the earlier 1960s, bachata was considered vulgar and low-class. “Acceptance of the music has increased significantly in the last two decades, although some dominicans, both individuals living on the island and stateside, still do not accept the music because of the implication of its lower-class origins and associations with such themes as crime, poverty, drinking, and prostitution’’(Stavans 47). The genre Bachata has spread and grown so quickly for the past few years that is has become very famous in the United States, Europe, China, and South America. The genre bachata is well known to attract people with its lyrics, instruments, and dance since it identifies many people with real life events.
Upon arriving in Cuba, the song El taxi, by Osmani was everywhere to be heard. The words: ‘Lo paró con una mano, lo paró que yo la vi’ and the music are really catchy and easy to remember. Talking to Cubans, explained to me that ‘real meaning’ of the lyrics and the meaning of doble sentido. So after understanding the core of the Cuban reggaeton, to play with words and senses, I was quite shocked by the words that I started singing and the actual meaning they interpreted, but on the other hand, I was amazed by the style the reggaetoneros used in order to say one thing and mean another. This song El taxi has a highly sexual connotation, a guy meets a girl on the way to the club, she was waiting for a taxi and he describes her appearance. But
Brazil soccer is a way of life for many young Brazilian people. Brazil is a five-time World Cup soccer champion. Brazil is an extraordinarily passionate nation and everything that people do is with pride and enthusiasm. There are many different types of sports game being played in all parts of the world. Some of these games are more familiar than others. The more popular games like basketball, baseball, football and soccer have made their way into the games of other countries. Soccer is one such game that is very significant in Brazil. Although the history of football in Brazil is not as long as some other countries, it is believed to be the richest. The way that the average Brazilian football fan embraces the game has been excellent. As the
A. Attention getter: Imagine yourself on a white sandy beach far away from all the books and term projects due this week or the next. Away from the crowded elevators, busy streets and crowded train rides. Now imagine yourself surrounded by thousands of people screaming and shouting out of joy, watching colorful floats pass you by. You find yourself moving along with the music playing and just can’t help yourself. This is just something you would probably experience if you were to spend a night in Brazil.
the latter half of the 20th century, Latin sounds influenced popular American music like rock, jazz, and even country music. In the 1930s and 40s, dance halls often had Latin orchestras that would alternate with a big band. Latin music had Americans dancing and smiling. The Spanish sound was heard in popular music in the US of the 50s and beyond. An example would be a song by arguably the most popular band in Western music, the Beatles, in their hit song titled, “And I Love Her” which used a distinctive Latin beat. The growing appeal of Latin music was evident in the late 1940s and 50s, when mambo was very popular and attracted dance audiences throughout the United States. In the early 20th century, the tango became popular in New York before
Hispanic’s music had a great impact in USA. Nowadays, Americans listen to Hispanics’ music. Hispanics’ music now is part of American’s culture. These changes in USA began around of 19th century, when Hispanics immigration increases in the USA. One of the big changes in music occurred around 1940s, when Americans began to recognize the efforts of Cuban-American musicians. One of the Cuban bands was Cugat. It was known better Orchestra ‘based in New York’s Waldorf Astoria’ which had a great visual and musical style. Another Cuban band was Machito who were dominated as one of the best New York’s scenes at that time. Thanks, to those bans Americans adopted some of Cubans’ dances and performances such as rumba, mambo and cumbia. Americans used and still using the Cuban instruments like bongos and maracas to create their rhythms. Later on, Americans created Jazz by African Americans with the influenced of Cuban’s music.
Latin Dance has evolved into a vivid kaleidoscope of many different cultures dancing to the beat of a single drum. These types of music which find their origin in African influence have developed into a meshwork of individual sounds and have grown to be identified with a particular culture. An example of such can be seen in the evolution and history of one of these, Merengue. This type of dance is native to the Carribean, however, it has developed and taken its precedence in the Dominican Republic. This Carribean nation has been crucial to the spread of this music on an international level.
Within a matter of months, I went from knowing close to nothing about Brazilian music to now knowing not only about the music, but the culture of Brazil as well. We have studied many genres including Samba Afro, Samba Reggae and Axé, all of which are unique in their own way, but also have many similarities. Essentially, each one of there specific genres ties back to candomble in some way. In addition to candomble, they also heavily relate back to the African heritage and history. The 1980’s proved to be a pivotal turning point for all of these genres as the abolition of slavery was taking place.
The concept of aesthetics describes what people of certain cultures tend to consider to be popular or in good taste (Wild & Wild, 2014). To this extent, despite being mostly unified by a single language, Brazil represents such a diverse culture that regional aesthetic variances could almost seem like they were different countries altogether (Castano, Goossens, Terlouw, and Vliet, n.d.). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, of all the cultures that make up the Brazilian way of life, the Portuguese culture is the dominant influence and provides the main language, religion, and many customs. Indigenous Indians and African influences are also apparent in some forms, especially in certain parts of the country.
Art has always been used to symbolize one’s culture, history, society and national identity. Countries identify each other through their culture, their art. Art has many forms, one of them being music. One of the most famous music genres in the world is samba. Due to the fact that Samba is the musical life force of Brazil; it ultimately represents their national identity.
In this essay, I will be examining the musical genre of Afrobeat which was created by Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Afrobeat first came to be in the late 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement in America. Fela Kuti a Nigerian, was able to create a genre that has change the way we view music today. Afrobeat is made up of two different words, “Afro” and “Beat”. “Afro” correlates with “African organized sound while beat is a rhythmic counting pattern in relation to such music” (Oikelome, 2013). Therefore, the meaning of Afrobeat is the unique African rhythmic patterns of such music. The coming of this genre is very interesting since the man behind it has quite a story.
From this came a mix of cultures and eventually the creation of the Tango. Although it can't be proven that this is its exact origin this is the theory that is most logical. The relentless rhythms that the African slaves, the candombe, beat on their drums (known as tan-go); the popular music of the pampas (flatlands) known as the milonga, which combined Indian rhythms with the music of early Spanish colonists; and other influences, including Latin. Some say the word "tango" comes from the Latin word tangere (to touch.) It was the dance of sorrow. It speaks with body language. More then just frustrated love, it is also said to speak of death and pain. It was the perfect dance for social outcasts; it epitomized their feelings about their life.
The BOP of Brazil (exhibit 5) shows that since 2000 the country was constantly a net exporter until 2014. The profile of its exports consists mainly of raw materials such as crude oil, iron, raw sugar, soybeans, etc. The collapse of commodities prices (exhibit 9) in the middle of 2014 reduced the ability of Brazil’s economy to end 2014 with a positive current account. The fall of oil prices also strongly contributed to that and Brazilian economy finished 2014 with a deficit in the Balance of goods of nearly $ 4 billion. Brazil’s GDP as expected finished 2014 with just 0.1% growth, announcing that tough times would follow.