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The
Brazilian Connection
exploring Brazilian Fingerstyle Guitar, music and culture by Richard Boukas
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August 1999 O CHÔRO: A PERENNIAL TRADITION IN BRAZILIAN MUSIC Part
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O
CHÔRO: by Richard Boukas © 1999 Brazil/New York Update Welcome again to our journey through the rich traditions of Brazilian music. Spring and early summer were highlighted by some very exciting events. In May pianist-composer Jovino Santos Neto and I premièred our new quartet Pé de Moleque at the New School Jazz Program where I teach in NY. The group features bassist Nilson Matta, drummer Paulo Braga and we were joined by saxophonist/flutist Hans Teuber who is in Jovino’s Seattle-based Quarteto. We performed also an acoustic duo concert in tribute to the great composers Ernesto Nazareth, Pixinguinha, Radamés Gnattali and Hermeto Pascoal (with whom Jovino was pianist-producer from 77-92). Hans and my longtime bassist cohort John Arbo were on hand to play several new arrangements of this classic repertoire. The concert was filmed by QPTV and should be on air locally by presstime. |
My previous QPTV production of Quinteto Brasileiro won a special merit award in the national Hometown Video Contest for public access cable stations, which will hopefully facilitate more Brazilian music programs in the future. As of this writing plans are forming for my return to Brazil. Along with Rio and São Paulo I hope to visit Bahia, Recife and other northeast cities. Stay tuned for news in November JJG. O Chôro: A Bridge for all Musicians This issue’s column will introduce the classic genre known as Chôro, one which shares many key stylistic traits with Jazz and Bebop. Its historical importance and influence on the course of 20th century Brazilian popular and classical music is pervasive and profound. Understanding its roots and core repertoire will open up many vistas for the Jazz player in search of a distinct musical tradition which embodies the same stylistic uniqueness, passion and technical challenges offered by Bebop, Bach or Chopin. I have used chôro in all facets of my teaching and found it to be a valuable tool and bridge for improving musicianship regardless of the students’ musical pursuits or level. The social, cultural and musical circumstances of Chôro’s origin parallel a very similar joining of "disparate" European and African traditions as was evident in Ragtime, Dixieland, Calypso and Tango.
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Roots and Common Ground with Ragtime Chôro is a style whose forms, phrase structure, harmonic progressions, accompaniment, texture and melodic gestures are based in popular 19th century European dance forms such as polca, schottische, waltz and mazurka. These forms were already well-asssimilated into Rio’s Euro-aristocratic circles by 1850. At first listening most musicians will infer some direct connection between Chôro and Ragtime. If one examines early piano repertoire, these similarities exist:
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August 1999 O Chôro, Part One
Brazilian Connection p.2
Although there is some basis for a
perceived similarity between Chôro and Ragtime, the
link is likely not a causal one but rather the result of independent but
similar social and cultural conditions in both countries. In fact, the
first Chôros predated Ragtime by three decades. The
great Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935), a visionary in both
Brazilian music and women’s rights, is recognized as Brazil’s
first truly national composer. The long preceding colonial period of music
derived from European Classical idioms, showing little if any trace of
the rich African and Indian cultures permeating most major musical genres
in Brazil.
In addition to the prevailing African cultural elements, the US and Brazil by 1870 were already well-exposed to Creole and Caribbean culture. The Creole pianist-composer Louis Moreau-Gottschalk made quite a buzz in Rio’s artistic circles during a memorable visit to Brazil in 1869. His melding of the Cuban-imported habanera accompaniment with exuberant syncopated melody cannot be discounted as an influence on the formative years of Ragtime and Chôro. Ernesto Nazareth (b. 1863) and Scott Joplin (b.1868), both serious pianist-composers thriving in a time when musical nationalism was a worldwide phenomenon, were keenly aware of these influences. Each crafted a personal synergy of African, Caribbean, European Romantic tonal music and their native cultural influences (Portuguese modinha and African-American spiritual respectively).
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Again, the results show more common roots than a direct link between them. The Early Years: Let’s Blow on the Changes The abolition of slavery in 1888 accelerated the influx of free Afro-Brazilians seeking work in cities like Rio and Salvador (Bahia). Opportunities were numerous given the need for skilled workers. This included barbers who frequently jammed and moonlighted as musicians hired to play aristocratic functions. Small ensembles consisted usually of flute, cavaquinho (steel string ukelele), bandolim (a cross between mandolin and guitarra portuguesa), and small hand percussion like pandeiro (tamborine) and reco-reco (scraper). The early days of Chôro, like Jazz, were based in a strong oral tradition, using no written melody or chord charts. The vast European-based repertoire with its clear AABBACA form and functional chord structures were as fertile for melodic improvisation as those great standards Jazz players have been blowing on for sixty years. These solo improvisations were complemented by a conversational bass counterpoint most active at phrase endings- a practice later refined by the seven-string guitar or sete-cordas. Tricky chord substitutions (derrubada) were interpolated spontaneously by the players, challenging the creative skills of the soloist.
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A Chôro does not a Tango make: Nazareth Meantime, Chôro was being legitimized by "serious" classical pianist-composers Gonzaga and Nazareth, who composed among the first notated chôros with set themes and codified accompaniment. These piano works were a laboratory for Chôro’s first stage of formal development. Nazareth’s output divided into two main areas: first, the traditional Valsa, whose Romantic lyricism and pathos emerged out of his love for Chopin; second, the so-called Tango Brasileiro which portrayed a distinct Afro-Brasilian aesthetic:
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August 1999 O
Chôro, Part One
Brazilian Connection p.3
Nazareth was a respected serious urban
composer whose large success owed to a Euro-elite who shunned the sensual
Afro-Brazilian flair. Nazareth cleverly avoided this stigma by
assigning to such works the less controversial subtitle Tango Brasileiro.
In reality, these pieces were not tangos, but the essence of a truly
Brazilian national music. To generations of Chôro composers and
musicians since, these seminal piano pieces served not only as the
formal and thematic compositional model, but contained the
complete genetic code for discrete instrumental roles to be differentiated
within the later chôro ensembles commonly called regional.
Fig 1 offers adapted excerpts from one of Nazareth’s most famous and extended pieces, Batuque (subtitled a tango característico). The A section shows the earmark maxixe rhythm in the bass and animated, etude-like 16th-note melody; the B section illustrates a typical cycle of fifths progression masked by a chromatic bassline alternating 1st/3rd inversions (a simplified harmonic sketch follows the original); the C section unveils the classic offbeat 3-note comping figure (also used as the most common upbeat melodic phrase), and the habanera/maxixe bass pattern ornamented with the conversational sete-cordas scale fills at phrase endings. These are the source elements of classic Chôro. The technique needed to play these guitar adaptations is a bit involved, but well worth practicing at a slower tempo to develop integral right-hand independence and RH/LH coordination. |
I have found many of these pieces "lay" great for two guitars reading right off the original piano score- at concert pitch or dropping the right-hand part an octave. The following adaptations use normal guitar octave and preserve almost all of Nazareth’s original pitches. Basic Chôro Comping Patterns From Nazareth’s model we can derive most of the basic comping rhythms and textures used in Chôro. Fig 2 shows a standard turnaround which can be adapted to II-V-I, cycle of fifths and other formula progressions. Observe all articulation and dynamic markings carefully, e.g. the staccato mark on the last 16th note of a grouping (ease up on the left hand to shorten its duration) and the crescendo through the typical 3-note comping figure in 16th notes. Common rhythmic variants of this pattern include: 1) a 3-note syncopated version which includes the downbeat. This forms the 3-note maxixe rhythm very common in melodies for chôro, maracatú, samba and bumba meu boi; 2) a simplified two-note figure with attacks on the (2nd and 4th ) 16th note. Depending on the genre and if the figure is used for melody or comping, the 2nd 16th note will either be tenuto (held for full value: "__") or shorter (normal or staccato). Two-note chôro comping phrases are (long-short), while 3-note melodic phrasing (3) is (long-short-normal). Sensitive articulation in this music is critical. |
Enter Pixinguinha and Os Batutas The next important phase in the Chôro tradition was championed by Pixinguinha (Alfredo da Rocha Viana, b. 1897). A natural, prolific genius who wrote countless famous chôros and sambas, he layed the foundation for Brazilian popular music that lasted clear through the rest of this century. Credited (along with lyricist Donga) for the first commercially-recorded samba (Pelo Telefone, 1917), he formed his first group Os Batutas (the champions) in 1919. This compact symphonic band of brass, winds, banjo-cavaquinho and percussion sported a funky rhythmic flair and supple melodic phrasing that mirrored our own Dixieland and pre-Swing eras. Tuba was still the bass instrument of choice. The guitar did not make its way into chôro either in a supportive role (comping or bassline) or as a solo concert instrument until 7-string innovator Dino Sete-cordas (Horondino José da Silva) and the brilliant Garôto emerged in the 1940’s. By 1925 the volume of notated chôro repertoire was quite extensive and part of the popular mainstream. This included clever samba-choros which set tricky melodies to rapid-fire lyrics such as those sung by Carmem Miranda. scroll down for next page |
August 1999 O
Chôro, Part One
Brazilian Connection p.4
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It was in Pixinguinha’s heyday that Choro’s improvisational spirit shifted away from blowing lines over generic chord structures to a more faithful rendering of notated themes with allowances for melodic and rhythmic embellishment. The vital spontaneous ensemble interaction, however was preserved, governed by common practice guidelines analogous to support roles delineated within the Bebop rhythm section. Chôro goes virtuosic and funky With the exception of the slower, lyrical Chôro Lento (samba canção) and Valsa, Pixinguinha’s melodic vocabulary was based less in Chopin’s romanticism and more in tune with the Jazz idioms of his day. His melodic writing showed an angular athleticism and large interval jumps housed in very funky rhythmic motifs. His exposure to American Jazz and 20th century classical influences during tours of Europe (especially Paris) showed clearly in Os Batutas. Fig 3 offers a brief thematic profile of Pixinguinha, illustrating earmark melodic gestures from some of his most famous chôros. These traits include (by number):
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Pixinguinha also codified the use
of contrapunto, a pre-written tenor saxophone counterline integral
to the composition- much as tenor counterlines are indispensible in the
music of composers Horace Silver, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter.
For sure, the harmonic and contrapuntal aspects of this music deserve
a separate and much more detailed discussion. Época de Ouro: Jacob, Dino & Co. Just after the war, expanded opportunities for recordings and live radio broadcasts led chôro ensembles to further refine their arrangements, presetting background fills and parts that would normally be left up to the taste of the player. This refinement and detailed codification of group interaction permitted some brilliant composer, soloist and accompanist personalities to emerge. The bassline function was now played by the sete-cordas, often doubled above in parallel thirds by a normal six-string guitar. This guitar would also share comping duties with the cavaquinho. The spirit of this third phase was heralded by Época de Ouro, led by the brilliant Jacob do Bandolim along with Dino Sete-Cordas (who is still smoking at the tender age of 81). Other great players such as cavaquinho master Waldyr Azevedo and under-recognized bandolim virtuoso Luperce Miranda were also part of this cadre, who culminated a century of Chôro which elevated it to its status as a beloved form of Brazilian chamber music.
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For now, we will move on to the pioneers of solo guitar chôro and visit Dino, the legendary Rafael Rabello (1963-95) and other masters of today’s chôro scene in Nov. JJG’s column. Garôto, Dilermando Reis, Solo Chôro When someone mentions solo guitar and chôro in the same sentence, Garôto (Anibal Augusto Sardinia) (1915-55) and Dilermando Reis (1916-77) are the two names invoked without fail. Visionaries in São Paulo’s already century-long classical guitar tradition, their distillation of Chôro’s core texural elements into extended solo guitar composition laid the blueprint for all future generations of solo guitarists spawned by Luiz Bonfá, Baden Powell, Sebastião Tapajós and the abovementioned masters Bellinati and Rabello (this list is by no means exhaustive). Themes both of the lyrical "Chopin" variety and 16th-note syncopated type are supported by clearly delineated basslines and inner voice movement. Both guitarist-composers chose to play steel strings on classical bodies, a unique sound which few players have embraced since. Of the two, Dilermando was the more traditional and harmonically straightforward. His Valses (as in those of Nazareth and earlier generations) are rooted in the classic Chopin mold (Se Ela Perguntar is a great one). His chôros by contrast show an infectious rhythmic vitality and countless right-hand variations used to project the animated three-dimensional texture required to make this genre come off convincingly in a solo context. scroll down for next page |
August 1999 O
Chôro, Part One
Brazilian Connection p.5
| He often tuned the low E string to D to explore higher melodic positions while maintaining active bass movement in the open lower strings. Rafael Rabello carried this low-D universe to great heights not only in chôro, but astonishing solo samba partido alto arrangements of popular tunes and interpretations of works by the composer Radamés Gnattali (1906-88). Garôto, on the other hand, added to this rich mix a keen sense of Debussy’s impressionistic harmony (whole-tone scales, melodic chromaticism, hairpin-turn modulations) and frequent use extended/altered Jazz harmonies. Each composition was a world unto itself, defining a unique textural, harmonic and expressive atmosphere. His work anticipated the Bossa Nova era by more than fifteen years, and only now are many guitarists outside Brazil learning of his contributions. Essential Chôro Textural Approaches Fig 4 offers a series of Dilermando Reis and Garôto solo guitar textures excerpted from classic solo chôros (comments are made directly in the music). Each illustrates a distinct technical approach and a rich integration of melodic, harmonic (inner voice accompaniment) and bassline (harmonic function and embordão fill) elements. These are great right-hand technical exercises that can be adapted and expanded to other thematic settings and harmonic progressions. Given the strong rhythmic aspect of these pieces, some of these textures are ready-made comping patterns which can be lifted from their solo guitar origins and employed in a larger chôro ensemble context. |
Melodic, harmonic and bassline elements would in practice filter out as each instrument (bandolim, cavaquinho, sete cordas respectively) was introduced. Practice these right-hand textural vignettes with a metronome, paying close attention to rhythmic accuracy and articulation. It is important to keep in mind also that the same expressive rubato (tempo elasticity) a soloist uses to phrase melodies (against the steady accompaniment of a chôro ensemble) permeates the delivery of most solo guitar chôro repertoire. In that sense, the solo guitarist must be able to phrase with rhythmic precision when necessary but not lose that elusive but indispensible flexibility dictated by Chôro’s inherent romanticism. O Chôro: a style of Life, As you can see, the body of music residing under the banner of Chôro is vast and beautiful, spanning a history of almost 150 years and embracing contrasting traditions which to those grounded in each would not appear to have fertile ground for interplay. But in Brazil, anything is creatively possible and intuition is the lifeblood of artistic evolution. Just like Jazz players, Chôro musicians play their music above all because they love it (it has been said that their biggest problem is not being able to stop). They are quite content to hold day jobs outside of music to keep the music pure and free from financial and professional caveats. |
From historical accounts of players and personal encounters I have been fortunate to enjoy, their musicmaking and personal spirit are marked consistently by an introspective humility, dedication and integrity; an insatiable appetite for playing, effortless virtuosity and ability to pull out their axe and burn from the very first note; a clever musical sense of humor and unique musical personality which shines through renditions of even the most commonly performed repertoire. Most of all, Chôro is an intimate musical form whose vibrant group interaction and infectious swing is among the greatest joys on earth. Next time in Brazilian Connection Next column will continue our exploration of masters of solo guitar Chôro, featuring excerpts from numerous players; a profile of Epoca de Ouro, the quintessential group headed by Jacob do Bandolim and Dino Sete-cordas (including group and individual transcriptions). Until then keep those great e mails and letters coming! all materials by Richard Boukas
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August 1999 O Chôro, Part One
Brazilian Connection p.6
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Suggested Reading and Scores Schreiner, Música Brasileira,
Cazes, Henrique, O Chôro Da Silva, Pixinguinha, Filho de Ogum Bexiguento Gryphus/Rio, 1998: zingoni@antares.com.br O Melhor de Pixinguinha, 84 Chôros Famosos Ernesto Nazareth Antologia Garôto, ed. Bellinati,
Dilermando Reis, for scores, recordings:
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For comments, questions, info on concerts, workshops, recordings, publications and other activities, please contact me at: Richard
Boukas (718) 441-4455 A NOTE ON MUSICAL EXAMPLES Musical Examples for this issue are available in Adobe Acrobat Reader (pdf) format. Each page of the original published magazine is saved as a separate pdf file. To open, just click on the desired hypertext below. You can download the application for free from www.adobe.com This music was engraved by sinclairmusic |
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BOSSA NOVA and COMPING in the BRAZILIAN RHYTHM SECTION MALANDRO:
O CHORO: A PERENNIAL TRADITION IN BRAZILIAN MUSIC, part two
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