The Berimbau: Soul of Brazilian Music

Conclusions

160 ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ Conclusions The berimbau is representative of a tradition that has been continually modified and incorporated into many musical genres throughout Brazil and the rest of the world. Through many years as an observer and performing musician, I have been able to reconstruct the history of the berimbau by drawing upon a synthesis of historical and ethnographic information. The berimbau has experienced a trajectory across a broad range of Brazilian social, cultural and musical contexts, demonstrating how it has become a symbol of identity and resistance in Brazil while retaining its identity as an African-derived musical bow. At this point in the discussion, I can now address the breadth of the berimbau’s presence in Brazilian music and culture through analysis from three principal perspectives : the berimbau’s association with capoeira; how it functions in relation to a nationalist Brazilian identity; and the berimbau as a physical and emblematic commodity. One of the critical dynamics in this book is the manner in which the African presence is engaged in Brazilian society. My observation and analysis of the berimbau’s presence offers an innovative way to trace, through the form and function of musical instruments, the mediation of African heritages in cultures with a legacy of slavery. Contemporary and historical issues of technology and transmission add yet another dimension to this mode of inquiry. During the colonial and imperial eras, the berimbau was a musical instrument used by enslaved Africans and their descendants during times of work and leisure. Slave owners encouraged the use of African-derived musical instruments to attract attention in the public markets. Nineteenth -century chroniclers frequently noted the berimbau’s presence in public marketplaces and on slave plantations, providing illustrations and ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ 161 Conclusions brief descriptions of the instrument itself and its use in conjunction with dance. After the abolition of slavery in 1888, the berimbau became less visible in public marketplaces, due in part to dominant social pressures that strived to distance Brazil from its legacy of slavery by de-emphasizing African-derived forms of expression. The berimbau rebounded to obtain a prominent position in Brazilian music and culture, most likely due to its formal alignment with capoeira in the early twentieth century. Both berimbau and capoeira have survived to the present day, and have been reinterpreted by Afro-Brazilians as powerful symbols of resistance. The berimbau moved from a regional Bahian to a national musical instrument in the late 1950s and early 1960s, disseminated through popular Brazilian music. The berimbau then began moving into global musical contexts in the early 1970s. Similar migrations of capoeira practitioners followed each of these expansions, providing additional visibility for the berimbau. In looking at the social function of the berimbau within the realm of capoeira, other clues emerge that demonstrate how the berimbau achieved its prominent status. As capoeira changed from a fight to a dance in the early twentieth century, the berimbau became an inseparable element of the martial art. The berimbau likely became a neutral third party among capoeiristas who encountered each other for informal exhibitions on the streets of Bahia. Instead of subordinating oneself to the individual who was in charge of the dance proceedings, the berimbau ’s music metaphorically became the game’s referee. The berimbau has been used to control dance in Afro-Brazilian social contexts at least since the 1850s, so it is plausible that this feature may have played a prominent role when the berimbau was incorporated into capoeira as a means to bring order to a street fight that had no rules. From this perspective, the berimbau assumed the function as a third-party negotiator. In order to participate in informal capoeira dance encounters, dance practitioners may have entered into a mutual agreement of respect for this third-party object, as opposed to subordinating themselves to the authority of another individual. While spiritual associations in relation to the berimbau vary among individual capoeiristas, the fundamental rule that the melodic rhythms of the berimbau must be obeyed is a principle unanimously agreed upon by all participants. ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ 162 Conclusions The union of the berimbau and capoeira can be seen as a key to their survival and upward mobility. As independent elements, both the berimbau and capoeira were social outcasts: the berimbau a distinctly identifiable instrument of black Brazilian culture, capoeira a combative slavebased fight that threatened social order. Following their union, they emerged in tandem to become symbols of national identity...