La contribución de la música tradicional del cariri cearense a la música popular brasileña por medio del baiao de Luiz Gonzaga

Abstract

Con este trabajo de investigación pretendo exponer cual ha sido la contribuición de la música tradicional del Cariri cearense a la música popular brasileña por medio del género musical baião, creado en 1946 en la ciudad de Río de Janeiro (Brasil) por los compositores Luiz Gonzaga y Humberto Teixeira. A tal respecto, tomando como base el estado de la cuestión, presento las hipótesis de trabajo que dieron lugar al inicio de la investigación en 2010, a partir de la bibliografía disponible tanto de este género musical como de su creador y principal intérprete (Luiz Gonzaga). Dentro de los objetivos de la investigación, por medio del estudio de la discografía de este músico (limitada a las grabaciones desde 1941 hasta 1959) y la investigación que llevé a cabo - de las agrupaciones musicales del Cariri cearense - busco establecer un diálogo que permita mostrar la relación entre ellos. Por otro lado, de acuerdo a las condiciones socioculturales que ambientaron el proceso de creación del género – que resulta en una fusión de diversos elementos culturales – intento plasmar como la experiencia musical previa de los compositores fue importante para la creación artística (no obstante, en la creación de un género musical intervienen varios factores, más allá de voluntades individuales). En relación con el espacio geográfico, realizo una descripción etnográfica de la región conocida como Cariri cearense (Ceará) presentándola como una zona especialmente rica en manifestaciones musicales tradicionales, así como dentro de la región de Pernanbuco la ciudad de Exu, que adquiere importancia por ser el lugar de nacimiento de Luiz Gonzaga...

In this work, I argue that traditional music from Ceará’s Cariri region made a contribution to Brazilian popular music as a whole, via the musical genre baião, which was created in 1946 in Rio de Janeiro by composers Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira. First, I introduce the arguments that gave rise to this study, in 2010, derived from literature available on this genre and about its creator and primary performer (Luiz Gonzaga). Through a study of his discography (limited to recordings from 1941 to 1959) and based on research I conducted on musical ensembles in Ceará’s Cariri region, I aim to establish a discussion that can demonstrate the existing relationship between the two. I recount the sociocultural conditions that created the environment for the creation of the genre, which resulted in a fusion of diverse cultural elements, demonstrating that the prior musical lives of the composers were important to their artistic creations. However, a new musical genre is the result of the union of various factors, beyond individual desires. I describe the region known as the Cearense Cariri, which is in the state of Ceará, presenting it as a zone rich in its quantity of traditional musical practices. I also present Exu, Pernambuco, which is the city where Luiz Gonzaga was born. Through a brief biography of the musician, in the first section I describe his life through adolescence in both places – and surroundings – together with traditional musical practices, primarily his fraternal relationship and his learning from his father, a self-taught musician and accordion repairman. Next, I present Luiz Gonzaga in another environment—Rio de Janeiro, the nation’s capital—in 1939. Considering the importance of Cariri’s culture to Gonzaga’s music, I trace a profile of the types of traditional music ensembles from the region, and I argue that they were principal references for the musician in his compositions. With the intention of characterizing baião as a genre of Brazilian urban popular music, I discuss the concepts of musical genre and style as they are addressed in current scholarly literature...