The Social History of the Brazilian Samba (Ashgate Studies in Ethnomusicology)

The period 1930-1945 was one of huge social change in Brazil, with the introduction of industrialisation under the authoritarian regime of Getulio Vargas. In this book, Lisa Shaw examines the impact of political, social and cultural developments on the nation's most popular musical form, samba. She looks at the way songs were written, the lifestyles and social positions of the composers (sambistas) and their relationship to political and commercial power structures. Samba lyrics are unique historical documents and by studying them we can obtain a clear picture of samba's shifting status as it developed from being the music of working-class blacks and was appropriated by mainstream middle-class culture. The final chapters of the book focus on the lyrics of three influential sambistas: Ataulfo Alves, Ari Barroso and Noel Rosa and look at the manner in which their songs both comply with and flout tradition and authority.