In Brazil, children’s songs were performed with no instruments,
always in a circle where the kids would hold hands and follow special commands. They
started as a cross between the ballroom dances and square dance!
By Cristiana Hamann
The world seems to have adopted Brazilian music. Some music stores throughout the world
have even opened up a special section for Brazilian recordings, and we are no longer being
classified as general Latin music. But where does that all begin? How do we get little
Brazilians to grow up with that passion for their own music? Well, the magic happens
through tradition, and it begins very early, as Brazilian lullabies and children’s songs
(the nursery rhymes type) are passed on to the new generations by their parents.
It all begins around the 1890’s at a very "European Brazil" enchanted with
France. As a matter of fact, France seemed to dictate fashion trends, music, dances, and
costumes in general. This was the time when music was danced in groups, according to very
fancy choreography. The Minuette and other ballroom dances were most popular at the
Brazilian saraus (music parties), and a proper education would certainly include those
dances.
From the ballrooms, the songs moved to the household, some of them through the kitchen
door, as the less fortunate Brazilians had no other access to the balls. Mothers and
nannies eventually adapted those songs to be sung to the children with educational
purposes.
From then on, the music took a totally different course, and the songs got a new
classification and began being called cantigas. Some lyrics carried a political
context, some were merely entertainment more on the comic side, and, some were just
nonsense. The children picked up fast the new fashion, and enjoyed very much the
"playing songs". The cantigas were performed with no instruments,
always in a circle where the kids would hold hands and follow the special commands on the
lyrics. In practical terms, this was a cross between the ballroom dances and square dance!
Some were to be danced performing choreography with a handkerchief (such as "Samba
Lelê"), some were just repetition for rhymes and rhythm (such as "Mineira de
Minas").
There is nothing better to spread a new fad than good mouth-to-mouth communication.
Soon the cantigas got their own local flare, a Brazilian twist, getting mixed up
with afro rhythms and a lot of hand clapping, brought in by the slavery. A Brazilian
tradition was born, and by the 1920’s the cantigas were true Brazilian music.
Sadly enough, with the invasion of television, video clips, video games and massive
media information, the cantigas were on the verge of extinction. Entertainment
for kids did not include cantigas, and artists in general were not too concerned
with tradition or folklore. Very little has ever been recorded. Fortunately, a new duo,
João and Kiki, came to the rescue of culture, releasing a CD where they perform the cantigas
in sophisticated arrangements of bossa nova, samba and even salsa. The CD is called Canta
Pra Mim and more information on purchasing it can be found at their web page:
www.geocities.com/cantapramim
or e-mail: cantapramim@hotmail.com
Some of the most popular cantigas are the romantic ones such as "Nesta
Rua" and "O Cravo e a Rosa."
|
Nesta rua, nesta rua tem um bosque Se eu roubei, se eu roubei teu coração Se esta rua, se esta rua fosse minha |
If Only This Street Were Mine On this street, on this street, If I’ve stolen, if I’ve stolen your heart If this street, if this street were mine |
|
O Cravo E A Rosa O Cravo brigou com a Rosa O Cravo ficou doente |
The Rose and the Carnation The Carnation had a fight with the The Carnation got ill Note: This one between lines tells |
|
Ai bota aqui, ai bota aqui E depois não vai dizer |
Little Foot Ah, put your little foot here So that later you will not say |
Some of them are fun, playing songs where the children obey certain commands as they
dance. Here are some of those:
|
Fui ao Tororó Fui ao Tororó Aproveita minha gente Oh Dona Maria, oh Mariazinha "Sozinha eu não fico, nem hei de ficar |
I Went to Tororó I went to Tororó Please everybody take advantage Oh Miss Maria, oh Little Maria "Alone I won’t be, alone I won’t stay Note: Tororó is actually the "Natural |
|
Samba Lelê está doente Samba , samba, Ó Morena bonita, |
Samba Lelê Samba Lelê is sick Oh beautiful brunette Oh beautiful Brunette How is it that one gets married? Note: this one is supposed to be about |
The cantigas also evolved to fit the local events and celebrations. This is
the case of the ones that are sung during the St. John’s festivities, during the month of
June. They are referred to as Cantigas Juninas (June Songs).
Being a very catholic country, events and celebrations would take place around the
"holly days" or the days of the saints. Many of those days happen to fall
throughout the month of June, the month of the "happy saints" (St. John on
06/24, St. Peter on 06/29 and St. Anthony on 06/13). Those cantigas were either
for square dance or were simply a description of the festivities. Still today, during the
month of June, Brazilians will dress up imitating the country folks (hillbilly style), to
attend local open carnivals, or church fairs, where they dance around open fire and eat
typical country food.
It is important to say here that although this all began around the Church, the cantigas
and festivities have no longer a religious connotation. They are merely folkloric. Here
are two examples of Cantigas Juninas:
|
Cai cai balão, Cai cai balão, |
Fall, Fall Little Balloon Fall, fall little balloon Fall, fall little balloon Note: The little balloon referred |
|
Capelinha de melão |
Little Chapel of Melon Little chapel of melon |
Lullabies were meant to put children to sleep, but also to scare the little ones and
thus reinforce the bond between mother and children, making sure they would stay in bed
all night. Here is an example of the most popular one:
|
Boi, boi, boi, |
Bull of the Black Face
Bull, bull, bull |
For more information about the cantigas, please visit www.geocities.com/cantapramim, where
you’ll be able to actually listen to the songs of the CD Canta Pra Mim. You will be
surprised at the diversity and richness of rhythms.
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