country music is a musical genre that has its origins in the backlands of Brazil.
For its part, country music would be the one developed in the rural area of São Paulo, more specifically along the Tietê river.
History of Country Music
Country music has its origins in viola fashions, when people gathered in a circle to tell stories – the so-called “causos” – to eat and drink.
The viola is a stringed instrument that arrived in Portuguese America with the first settlers.
The Jesuits used it to catechize the indigenous people, who had a special predilection for music. The viola was also used in popular religious festivals, such as processions, King's revelry, patron saint parties, rosary prayers, etc.
Hence the nasal way of singing, where the lyrics are more important than the melody and the singing seems more like a lament.
Viola fashions were a custom in rural Brazil, when the troops who led the cattle stopped at farms. There was always someone who strummed the instrument, just as there was someone who told “stories” around a bonfire.
Over time, the model of country music found in the west of São Paulo, north of Paraná, Minas Gerais, Goiás has been crystallized. The rustic duo sang a simple melody, without ornaments, where there was the main voice and the second voice singing a third below, accompanied by the viola and, later, by the guitar.
Caipira, Sertaneja or Sertanejo Universitário music?
For many scholars, country music belongs to something bigger, which is country music.
As music researcher Zuza Homem de Mello says:
Country music is a part of country music, [which is] located in the state of São Paulo. Sertaneja music is the music of the Brazilian hinterland, of the entire Brazilian hinterland.
In this way, each region will develop its own style. In the Midwest, we found that country music is influenced by dances such as siriri or catira (or cateretê).
In the Northeast, elements of Arab culture, the baião and the xaxado, will give the color to the melody and rhythms of the country.
Country music
Country music portrays rural Brazil through the singing and accompaniment of the viola. Later, the guitar and accordion would be incorporated.
It was Cornélio Pires, composer and businessman from Tietê (SP), who bet on the commercial success of this musical genre. On his initiative, in 1929, the first recording of the theme was made "Jorginho do Sertão", by his authorship, registered by the duo Mariano & Caçula.
With the advent of radio, the caipira sound expanded throughout Brazil and reached the big city, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Likewise, as the country industrialized and the rural exodus occurred, country music spread throughout Brazilian territory.
It must be remembered that the term "hillbilly" was seen as something negative in the 20s and 30s. With the ideas of industrialization, the caipira represented the rural environment that the Republic wanted to overcome.
Thus, the way of speaking and the habits of the hillbilly were criticized in the press and in literature through characters such as Jeca Tatu, by Monteiro Lobato, for example.
Country Music
To escape prejudice, country music was called country music and added new instruments and themes to its repertoire.
In the 70s, duos like Milionário & José Rico incorporated the way of singing and instrumentation derived from music ranchera Mexican.
For its part, in the 80's, synthesizers, drum twists, and pop melodies were added. We can mention Leandro & Leonardo, Zezé di Camargo & Luciano, Roberta Miranda, João Paulo & Daniel, among many others, as representatives of this aspect.
The country music, from this time, was used in soap opera soundtracks and began to appear on prime time television.
University Sertanejo
The university sertanejo would be country music adapted to the 21st century and direct heir to the changes produced in this genre in the 1980s.
In turn, the university sertanejo dispenses with doubles and can only be sung by one person. Included the beats and aesthetics of country American, as well as romantic and urban themes. Also noteworthy is the emergence of female duos and bands.
Another important feature is that the university sertanejo is made with the sole purpose of making people dance. For its part, country music has both sides: dancing and listening to the lyrics.
Thus, to differentiate the sertanejo from the university sertanejo, the term "root sertaneja music" is used to designate the genre practiced until the end of the 20th century.
Sertanejo Root
With the emergence of the university sertanejo, there was a need to differentiate it from that music practiced at the beginning of the twentieth century. Therefore, in general, the songs composed at that time are called "sertanejo de root".
Below is a list of the ten best known country songs from Brazil.
- Brasília Pagoda, Teddy Vieira and Lourival dos Santos
- road of life, jose rich
- Jorginho do Sertão, Cornelius Pires
- gate boy, Teddy Scallop
- Chico Mineiro, Tonico and Francisco Ribeiro
- Jeca's sadness, Angelino de Oliveira
- Sertão Moonlight, Luiz Gonzaga
- Chitãozinho and Xororó, Serrinha
- Pilgrimage, Renato Teixeira
- Mute telephone, Trio Parada Dura
Now listen to one of the most successful country duos in the country, Tonico and Tinoco, telling a little about their trajectory and singing "Tristeza do Jeca", by Angelino de Oliveira:
There are more texts on this topic for you:
- Catira or Cateretê: origin, dances and music
- Folk Dances in Brazil
- Folk Songs: Brazilian Folk Songs
- Midwest Culture
- Popular culture
- Viola Fashion
