Choro: Type of Popular Music in Brazil

The choro which is literally cry in Portuguese, but in context a more appropriate translation would be lament, traditionally known as chorinho (little cry or little lament). The instrumental which its origins are in 19^th century Rio de Janeiro, originally choro was played by a trio of flute, guitar and cavaquinho (a small chordphone with four strings). The young pianist Ernesto Nazareth published his first choro (Nao Caio Noutra in 1878 at the age of 14). The Nazareth’s choros are often listed as a polkas, he also sing waltzes, schottisches, milongas and Brazilian Tangos. He resisted the famous term Maxixe to represent the Brazilian tango, the Chiquinha Gonzaga was another significant singer of the choros and began shortly after the Nazareth. Chiquinha Gonzaga composed her first success, the polka-choro Atraente, in the year 1877. The beginning of the success of the choro came from the informal orchestras of the friends which played in the parties, pubs (botecos), streets, homes balls (forrobodos) and also the musical score published by print houses. By the 1910, many of the Brazilians that are the first phonography records is choros. The mainstream success of this pattern of the music by the 1930s that came from the early days of then radio, when the groups performed live on the air. At the end of 1950 and 1960’s it was replaced by the samba and Bossa nova and other patterns of Brazilian famous music, but still it live as the amateur circles which is known as the rodas de choro which is informal choro gathering in  residences and botecos. However, the late 1970’s was a successful effort to revitalize the genre which was carried out by some of the well-known artists like Pixinguinha, Waldir Azevedo and Jacob do Bandolim.

 

source of picture: mikemarshall.net