John P. Murphy’s Music in Brazil is an engaging and informative book that serves as an excellent introduction to the vast landscape of musical activity in Brazil. The book is another volume in the Global Music Series edited by Bonnie C. Wade and Patricia Sheehan Campbell, which aims to provide in-depth discussions of specific regions and theoretical issues in ethnomusicology for introductory music courses at the high school or undergraduate level. While it is difficult to believe that a single author could effectively cover so much material in such a slim book, Murphy makes great use of his own research in the Northeast of Brazil as well numerous dissertations by Brazilian and North American scholars to give a comprehensive survey of the country and its music.
The book is organized around the theme of cultural identity, and each of its three sections deals with a different manifestation of this theme. In the first section, Murphy looks at the idea of national identity as it is expressed both internationally and within the country through musical genres such as samba, choro, bossa nova, and Tropicália. The second section addresses ethnic and regional identities. Through case studies of Afro-Brazilian capoeira and music of the indigenous group the Kayapó-Kirkrin, Murphy touches on two aspects of the tripartite ethnic make-up long ascribed to Brazil. This section also deals with regional identity through its discussion of folk and popular music styles from the Northeast, Central West, and South of Brazil. The book’s final section addresses musical cosmopolitanism through the modern mangue movement of Recife. While the book is divided into these three discrete sections, Murphy also continually emphasizes the various ways in which these themes overlap and interconnect in contemporary Brazilian society and throughout its history. In this way, he highlights the process of blending local and global musical forms that is characteristic of so many Brazilian genres.
One of the key strengths of Murphy’s book is the way in which it moves past the widely-held perception of Brazil as a country dominated by samba and the Carnaval of Rio de Janeiro. Through his discussion of Carnaval celebrations in the Northeast, Murphy reveals the diversity of contemporary musical and performative expressions related to Carnaval, many of which paint a very different picture of the festivities than that embedded in the minds of most North Americans. In addition, Murphy also focuses attention on several genres that are extremely important to Brazilians and yet largely unknown outside the country. For example, his section on música brega provides an accurate musical and sociological analysis of a style that is beloved by the masses of Brazil and yet often dismissed by academics and critics. Similarly, the section devoted to música sertaneja skillfully traces its origins back to the rural folk music of the country’s interior known as música caipira while at the same time acknowledging the influence of contemporary American country music. The inclusion of these oft-neglected styles provides the reader with a far more realistic impression of Brazilian cultural life than has been available previously.
Another commendable aspect of Murphy’s writing is his ability to present a macro-level view of Brazilian culture while still bringing into relief a detailed description of the individuals who make the music. In this way, the reader gets a personal look at folk musicians such Mestre Inácio Lucindo da Silva, who performs in traditional cavalo-marinho groups, as well as the members of Devotos, a DIY punk rock band in Recife. These examples from both folk and popular music settings reveal the deeply personal ways in which national, regional, and ethnic identities are expressed throughout all of Brazilian music.
Music in Brazil comes with an accompanying CD that features music discussed in the book. While the musical examples are compelling, it is a shame that licensing issues made it difficult to include many of the most significant artists discussed in the text. Murphy seeks to rectify these omissions by pointing to numerous web resources where legal downloads are available; however, the prospect of having to hunt around the Internet for specific songs is likely to frustrate many instructors and students. On the bright side, in addition to the suggested activities featured throughout the text, Murphy has created a variety of supplemental materials for instructors which are available at his own website dedicated to the book. Furthermore, through its generous use of citations, the book also serves as a tremendous launching pad for further inquiry by the curious student or teacher interested in pursuing particular genres in greater depth.
In short, Music in Brazil is an excellent and much-needed contribution to musical scholarship on Brazil. It will make a fine starting point both for readers interested in becoming more familiar with the wonderful diversity of music in Brazil as well as for teachers seeking an easy-to-use and accurate resource on Brazilian musical styles and performance techniques.
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[Review length: 809 words • Review posted on November 28, 2007]