Afro-Brazilian music consists of a mixture of musical and cultural influences from Sub-Saharan Africa, Portugal, and on a smaller scale, Amerindian music, creating a large variety of styles. Lyrics, instruments, and even melodies often have connections to African culture and even influence culture and music in other countries today. It is strongly influenced by African rhythms. The most well known sub-genres of Afro-Brazilian musical genres are samba, marabaixo, maracatu, ijexá, coco, jongo, carimbó, lambada, maxixe, and maculelê.
Like every other part of the American continent where there were African slaves, music made by Afro-descendants was initially neglected and marginalized, until they gained their reputation at the beginning of the 20th century and became extremely popular in contemporary culture.[1] This breakthrough came in part from the unique instruments that are used in Afro-Brazilian music including afoxé, agogô, alfaia, atabaque, berimbau, and tambor.[2]
Nearly all Brazilian music is influenced by traces of Afro-Brazilian music, so much so that Afro-Brazilian artist Letieres Leite says that all Brazilian music is Afro-Brazilian.[3]
- ^ "Portal da Cultura Afro-Brasileira". www.faecpr.edu.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ "Exposição de Instrumentos Afro-Braasileiros chama atenção no SESC" (PDF). Prefeitura do Município de Maringá (in Portuguese). Secretaria de Comunicação. 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ Cassaletti, Danilo (20 November 2022). "Dia da Consciência Negra: artistas dão luz às origens dos ritmos brasileiros". Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese).