Choro

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Instruments commonly played in choro

Choro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʃoɾu], "cry" or "lament"), traditionally called chorinho ("little cry" or "little lament"), is a Brazilian popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity and improvisation. Choro is considered the first popular music typical of Brazil.

Choro instruments

Originally choro was played by a trio of flute, guitar and cavaquinho (a small chordophone with four strings). Other instruments commonly played in choro are the mandolin, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and trombone. These melody instruments are backed by a rhythm section composed of guitar, 7-string guitar (playing bass lines) and light percussion, such as a pandeiro. The cavaquinho appears sometimes as a melody instrument, other times as part of the rhythm.

Compositional structure

Structurally, a choro composition usually has three parts, played in a rondo form: AABBACCA, with each section typically in a different key. There are a variety of choros in both major and minor keys.

History

Much of the success of this style of music came from the early days of radio, when bands performed live on the air. By the 1960s it had evolved into urban samba. However, in the late 1970s there was a successful effort to revitalize the genre, through TV-sponsored nation-wide festivals in 1977 and 1978, which attracted a new, younger generation of musicians. Thanks in great part to these efforts, choro music remains strong in Brazil. More recently, choro has attracted the attention of musicians in the United States, such as Mike Marshall and Maurita Murphy Mead, who have brought this kind of music to a new audience. Most Brazilian classical composers recognize the sophistication of choro and its major importance in Brazilian instrumental music. Radamés Gnattali said it was the most sophisticated instrumental popular music in the world. Heitor Villa-Lobos defined choro as the true incarnation of Brazilian soul. Notably, both composers had some of their music inspired by choro, bringing it to the classical tradition.^[1]

According to Aquiles Rique Reis (a Brazilian singer), ”Choro is classical music played with bare feet and callus on the hands”^[2]

Notable Brazilian choro musicians

• Abel Ferreira
• Altamiro Carrilho
• Benedito Lacerda
• Carlinhos 7 cordas
• Chiquinha Gonzaga
• Chôro das 3
• Dino 7 Cordas
• Ernesto Nazareth
• Garoto
• Hamilton de Holanda
• Henrique Cazes
• Irineu de Almeida
• Israel Bueno de Almeida
• Izaias Bueno de Almeida
• Jacob do Bandolim
• João Pernambuco [1]
• Luiz Otavio Braga
• Luizinho 7 Cordas
• Luperce Miranda
• Maurício Carrilho
• Milton Móri
• Naylor 'Proveta' Azevedo
• Oscar Castro Neves
• Paulo Bellinati
• Paulo Moura
• Paulo Sérgio dos Santos
• Pixinguinha
• Raphael Rabello
• Silvério Pontes
• Waldir Azevedo
• Yamandú Costa
• Zé Barbeiro
• Zé da Velha

Notable choro compositions

• "Brejeiro" (Ernesto Nazareth)
• "Apanhei-te Cavaquinho" (Ernesto Nazareth)
• "Odeon" (Ernesto Nazareth)
• "Carinhoso" (Pixinguinha)
• "Lamentos" (Pixinguinha)
• "Segura Ele" (Pixinguinha)
• "Um a zero" (Pixinguinha)
• "Vou Vivendo" (Pixinguinha)
• "Brasileirinho" (Waldir Azevedo)
• "Pedacinhos do Céu" (Waldir Azevedo)
• "Doce de Coco" (Jacob do Bandolim)
• "Noites Cariocas" (Jacob do Bandolim)
• "Tico-Tico no Fubá" (Zequinha de Abreu)
• "Meu caro amigo" (Chico Buarque e Francis Hime)
• "Meu amigo Radamés" (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
• "Choros no. 1 to 14" (Heitor Villa-Lobos)

Suggested reading

• Livingston-Isenhour, T., and Garcia, T. G. C. (2005). Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Popular Music. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Films

• 2005 - Brasileirinho: Grandes Encontros do Choro. Directed by Mika Kaurismäki.

External links

• Abdallah Harati, Brazilian 7 string guitar player, living in Munich, Germany
• Dirty Linen Brief History of Choro
• Agenda do Samba & Choro
• All Brazilian Music
• Maria-Brazil - Brazilian Culture on the Web
• ChoroMusic.com Play Along Brazilian Choro
• Pe de Cana, choro trio band from Vancouver-Canada
• Choro das 3, three young sisters' group
• Brazil Essence - Majorca, Spain
• Casa de Choro - Toulouse, France

Notes