Two of my philosopher friends (Mark Colyvan and Arianna Betti) have recently asked me for recommendations on choro, yet another specific Brazilian music style. I must confess I am not that much of a choro aficionada myself, but I obviously recognize the style as one of the most important and most sophisticated Brazilian genres. Choro means ‘cry’, and an alternative term often used is the diminutive ‘chorinho’. Unlike most other Brazilian folk music, choro is predominantly (though not exclusive) instrumental, and is without a doubt the most virtuoso of all Brazilian folk styles; it is of extremely difficult execution, and while it remains a folk genre, playing choro requires years of musical training. It relies heavily on improvisation and syncopation, and has been described as “the most sophisticated instrumental folk music in the world” (by a Brazilian, of course: renowned maestro Radamés Gnattali).
The typical instruments for a choro ensemble are flute, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and two typical Brazilian instruments: pandeiro (a kind of tambourine) and cavaquinho, a very small chordophone with four strings. On occasion, pianos, saxophones and other instruments may also make an appearance. The genre originated in the 19th century, inspired by European genres such as waltz and polka, but as is always the case in Brazilian music, mixed with African influences. It became very popular in the 1910s, to a great extent due to the popularity of two composers, Ernesto Nazareth and Chiquinha Gonzaga. The latter was a remarkable woman on all accounts: a fabulous composer, the only woman to pursue a music career not only as a performer but also as a composer at the time, and said to be the first woman to obtain a legal divorce in Brazil, still in the 19th century. She fought all the good fights, including for the Republican movement and the Abolition of slavery (she was partially black herself, but her father was an extremely influential white military – she remained socially well-connected all her life).
Later on, in the late 1910s and 1920s, the king of choro was Pixinguinha, the composer of one of the most popular Brazilian songs ever, ‘Carinhoso’. When it was composed, ‘Carinhoso’ was considered to be too ‘advanced’ to count as a choro song, and was instead considered to be a polka; but now, nobody cares whether it can rightly be described as a choro or not. It is one of the songs that Brazilians of all ages know best.
So to showcase the genre, here are two classics: ‘Atraente’, composed by Chiquinha Gonzaga in 1877, here in a live version with a real choro ensemble to give you a better idea of the different instruments; and ‘Carinhoso’, in a version by Marisa Monte (for you, Mark!) and the absolute king of modern samba and choro, Paulinho da Viola (more on whom next week). While there is a melancholic component in some choro songs, it is essentially a rather upbeat style, in spite of its name :)
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