Brazilian Rhythms

In Brazil, we can find different rhythms according to the region and popular culture. The country is very rich in this theme. Samba, for example, along with soccer, is an expression of Brazil’s best-known abroad. But samba is just one of our typical musical rhythms, which also include the frevo, maracatu, the ballad…

Frevo
This is a march of syncopated rhythms, haunting, violent and frantic, which is its main feature. And the crowd waving, swaying in dance, is boiling. It was this idea of boiling (the people pronounce ‘frevura’, ‘frever’, etc..), Which created the name ‘Frevo’. The choreography is improvised and almost acrobatic, originally performed in colorful clothes and an umbrella. One can not fail to mention that since the 1970s, the frevo also gained ground in the carnival of Bahia: Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil composed several frevos, to run on electric trios.

Forró
The name derives from Forrobodó, “pagodeiro fun,” according to folklorist Cascudo. The liner was in origin a lively dance for several musical genres, such as the ballad, the xote, and xaxado. In this sense, was also known as “foot-dragging” or “chat slipper”. Forró today is practically a musical genre that includes the rhythms mentioned above. Its origin is the interior of Northeast brazilian and the musical instruments used are basically the concertina or accordion, triangle and bass drum.
Some scholars attribute the origin of the word forró pronunciation Brazilianize “for all”, that at the beginning of the century, British engineers Railroad Great Western, promoted to the workers in Pernambuco, Paraiba and Alagoas.

Baião, xote e xaxado
The baião, according to folklorist Cascudo, associates the words “Bahia” and “rocket”, small pieces of music performed by guitar, the range of challenges among the singers to improvise. But the genre established itself and gained new features when the accordionist Luiz Gonzaga popularized it through the radio in Brazil. This is the rate that prevails today in forrós.
The xote is a slower pace, to dance the two, of German origin, but who settled in northeastern Brazil and mixing steps of waltz and polka. The xaxado was originally an exclusively male dance, performed by bandits, without instrumental accompaniment to the singing, the rhythm marked by the butt of the rifle, hit the floor. The xaxado name must come from the Shah-shah-shah who made leather sandals as they skim along the ground. The dance, spread by Wagg and his gang relieve the female presence. According to Luiz Gonzaga, “in this dance, the lady is the rifle.”