Knowra Music of Brazil Music of Brazil The musical traditions developed in Brazil through Indigenous, African, and European influences, expressed in regional forms and widely known styles such as samba and bossa nova.
African music : Music made across Africa and its diasporas, encompassing diverse rhythmic, melodic, and performance traditions. African diasporic traditions deeply shaped Brazilian rhythms, instruments, and musical practices.
Bossa nova : A Brazilian music style that combines samba-derived rhythms with restrained singing and jazz-influenced harmony. Bossa nova carried a refined Brazilian sound to international audiences.
Lundu : An Afro-Brazilian song-and-dance genre that developed during the colonial period. Lundu records early African-Brazilian influence on later popular song and dance.
Pixinguinha : A Brazilian composer, saxophonist, and flautist who helped define choro in the twentieth century. His compositions and recordings established models for Brazilian instrumental music.
Música caipira : A rural Brazilian music tradition associated especially with the country’s interior and its viola-based songs. Its rural roots and instrumentation contrast with urban-centered popular styles.
Indigenous music of Brazil : The varied musical traditions of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples, including vocal, instrumental, and ceremonial forms. Indigenous musical practices form one of the traditions that shaped Brazil’s musical landscape.
Forró : A family of northeastern Brazilian dance-music styles, commonly featuring accordion, zabumba, and triangle. Forró illustrates the distinct regional traditions within Brazilian music.
Maxixe : A Brazilian urban dance and music style that emerged in the late nineteenth century. Maxixe bridged older dance forms and the development of samba.
João Gilberto : A Brazilian singer and guitarist whose restrained style helped establish bossa nova. His guitar rhythm and understated singing became hallmarks of bossa nova.
Carimbó : A music and dance tradition from Pará in northern Brazil, combining Indigenous, African, and European elements. Carimbó demonstrates a regional tradition distinct from the better-known southeastern genres.
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