Music in the Afro Brazilian Religion Candomble - Research Paper Example

Music in the Afro Brazilian Religion Candomble Candomble is a term used to describe a religion based majorly in Brazil. The religion initially had its roots from Africa though some of its components came from Bahia. The saint people of Brazil also known as Povo de Santo practices the religion and despite the fact that the practice of the religion vastly covers Brazil, it is important to note that other American and European countries also practices the religion. The religion has its features based on the soul and thus the reason why it is unique as compared to other religions in the region. Having come from Africa does not however mean that all the character traits of the religion came from the continent. Many of the features actually came as developments by the Afro Brazilian people in an effort to expand the religion. The features included in the religion include vigorous rituals and music that are very imperative in its development. The Capoeira is one recognized art in the Afro Brazilian setting that has the combination of music and dance. The specific ritual is martial art created in Brazil by slaves of the African continent and characterized by very fast and swift moves that are rather complex for anyone not well trained to comprehend. The power exerted in the dance is vast and thus for a person to perform the art well, strength is an important factor. One of the instruments used in the Capoeira is the berimbau. The instrument has its importance in that it brings out the rhythm of the songs in performance. Rhythm is an integral part of the ritual and without it; there can be no sense of dance in the music played in the Capoeira. The berimbau is not the only instrument played in the Capoeira but rather one of a set. The set is arranged in a row where there are three berimbeu, an agogo and two pendeiros (Rohrig 167). The full formation of the set is very important in that each of the instruments has a role that it plays in the completion of a perfect Candomble dance. All the instruments are supposed to follow the formation of the rhythm of the berimbau as it is the leading instrument (Rohrig 168). The songs played in the Capoeira have different themes and purposes. There are those sung in a narrative manner where most of the information relayed is that of love and others bear important life teachings. There are also the songs played in various games in an effort to boost the morale of the players and show support. The Funk Carioca is another important type of dance in the Brazilian community that comes from the capital of the country, Rio de Janeiro and is performed in festivals such as the Black Awareness Day. Despite the fact that it has its roots in one of the largest cities in the country, the type of dance has made its way and gained recognition among the less popular groups in the country. The low class people in small villages with a lot of suffering in attaining food on a daily basis are the group that practices the dance largely (Vandome 87). One of the characteristic instruments is the Drum machine. This machine is used in music to copy the sound produced by other musical instruments especially the percussion ones. The machine comes in handy when there is lack of real life drummers. However, due to the economic aspect of the people in lower Brazil, well-trained traditional drummers in the performance rather replace the instrument. The phonograph is also a machine characteristic in the dance and well known for reproducing recordings previously made by other instruments. The sampler is a device used to play music fed to it by a composer and actually produces the sound according to the producer’s specifications. The use of these instruments in unity brings the festivals to a rather impressive climax as the participants burst into vigorous dances depending on the occasion. The Samba is a type of Brazilian dance that has its origin from Bahia. The Brazilian carnivore uses the dance to a vast extension and thus recognized all over the world as a symbol of the country Brazil (McGowan 48). The modern Samba has revolved largely as compared to the one that characterized the earlier days. The modern dances have a specific tempo that is slightly higher than the ones used by the ancient Samba dancers. Traditionally, the performance of the Samba is by the use of stringed instruments locally made and thus the availability and large practice of the dance. The instrument goes back to the times of the Second World War. The instrument was used to encourage the fighters in their fighting and boost their morale through the dancing nature of the instrument. The evolved Samba has many instruments used for the full ceremony. Many of the instruments are common day instruments that are also used in various places all around the world. One of the instruments is bass guitar. The bass guitar is very imperative as it brings in the calm mood that is rather rare in the performance of the Samba. The drum Kit however gains recognition as the largest and most important aspect of the Samba dance (McGowan 63). This is because it plays a major role in bringing in rhythm largely and thus having the dance in a livelier mood. The drummers are the most tired after the performance of the Samba and hence gain a lot of respect due to their hard work and talent. The description of the Orisha is that of a spirit that normally takes the spirit form and is a representation of God in the religious system of the Yoruba. The spirit is called upon in very many nations and thus the importance of understanding the specific roles played by each in the respective places. In Brazil, the Orishas receive utmost respect, from the time a young kid is born, and starts to comprehend issues; education about the beings is an important aspect to relay to them. This is done so that they can understand why they are supposed to respect the spirits and to ensure the continuity of the ancient generation’s customs and beliefs. The role of the Orishas gains recognition among the Brazilians as the providers of many of their daily necessities. This is the reason behind the numerous dances that they carry out with respect to them. The Brazilians sing around circles performing various rituals and calling out the names of some of these Orishas (Albet 64). The names called out depend on which spirit that the people wish to communicate with and relay their needs. Many are the times that the Orishas present themselves in the dances through various signs such as thunder or lightning and this is a sign that the communication process is on track. It is also claimed that some Orishas are in charge of controlling the weather pattern and several dances and festivals made for the Orishas are for their invitation. The representation of the Orishas is in a manner that is very captivating to a point that they are pledged their respect by the pouring of traditional drinks to the ground as a form of libation. This is done while singing in an effort to understand their needs. Many are the times that people sin and subsequently terrible things start happening to them. At this point, they head over to sacred places and offer the Orishas some kind of sacrifice to search for forgiveness of their sins and for their lives to gain purity. When offering the sacrifices, sacred songs entail and this is very imperative as they keep the Orishas at peace and try to calm them down if they are angry with them. If the Orishas are pleased with the sacrifice, they do forgive the person and their lives get back to normal. However, there are times that these spirits do not accept the sacrifice if the mistake made was very large. The Candomble religion is very extensive and the manner in which it is treated gives it a lot of credit both from the ancient times to the contemporary society. Music and dance are the some of the characteristics that make the religion unique and thus the adverse respect. Orishas come in a great deal in that they are taken to be the controllers of the religion. Work Cited Albet, Carlos. Orisha: A First Glimpse of the African Religion of Brazil, Haiti and Cuba. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2007. Print. McGowan, Chris. The Brazilian Sound: Samba. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print. Rohrig, Mathias. Capoeira: A History of an Afro- Brazilian Martial Arts. London: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Vandome, Agnes. Func Carioca. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers, 2007. Print. Read More