Viola Caipira--Roberto Correa--Brazil by Roberto Correa; Tiago de Oliveira Pinto; Max Peter

Baumann
Review by: Martha de Ulhõa Carvalho
Ethnomusicology, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), pp. 462-464
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of Society for Ethnomusicology
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462 Ethnomusicology, Fall 1991

jojk reinforces the contention that the modem interpretationsare a parallel

manifestation, and do not necessarily signal an irreversibletrend. Admittedly
the other performers on the record are young, so a trend does appear to
surface with age group as a determinant, but this is only superficial: one of
the more experimental artists, I. A. A. Gaup, has a brother who records
exclusively in the traditional a capella style (Gaup 1987); and as Edstrom
points out, Mattis Haetta released an LP in 1980 consisting entirely of
traditionaljojks, the same year as his recording of "SamiidAednan."
The only flaw in this project is the lack of song texts in English. This is
particularlynoticable given the excellent English translation of the original
Swedish notes in the accompanying booklet. Since one of the most
distinctive (and often highly significant) features of this new genre of Sami
song is the addition of text, it is a shame that this component remains
unavailable to an audience lacking sufficient knowledge of Sami or Swedish.
Less problematic, but frustrating nevertheless, is a similar oversight in
translating the photo captions.
This recording is an excellent example of the variety of Sami musical
responses which have occurred as a result of increased culture contact and
acrimonious territorialdisputes. The selections grant insight into the process
of negotiation which the Sami are undergoing as they seek to find their
cultural equilibrium within the dominant Scandinavian milieu. As such it
makes a valuable contribution to the growing body of informationregarding
indigenous music and popular culture.

Richard Jones-Bamman Seattle, Washington

References
Edstrom, Olle
1989 VuolleJojkLuohti. Ajtte AJLP-1.
Gaup, Ante Mihkkala
1987 Luohterdmit.Davvi Media O/S DMLP87-1.

Viola Caipira-Roberto Correa-Brazil. (TraditionalMusic of the World

1). One compact disc with 55 pp. booklet (in English) and transcriptions
CORREAand TIAGODE OLIVEIRA
by ROBERTO PINTO,recordings by MAX PETER
BAUMANN.Musicaphon BM 505 801 DDD.

This CD and accompanying booklet fills a gap in Brazilian

ethnomusicological discography and literature in English on the Brazilian
folk guitar (viola or viola caipira). Even compared to the literature in
Portuguese, this publication adds to the meager bibliography on the viola
caipira tradition. Until the early 1980s, most organological studies in Brazil

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 Recordings Reviews 463

were mainly descriptions of instruments derived from Africa, even though

the Portuguese-derived viola caipira is the single instrumentmost often used
in Brazil (Behague 1982). Both ethnomusicologists and music educators
interested in world music will find this CD and booklet most enlightening.
In addition to being exposed to the wide variety of sounds of the viola, they
will be provided with excellent and detailed notes in English which explain
the origins of the instrument, its playing techniques, and violeiro (viola
player) Roberto Correa's repertoire.
The viola was introduced into Brazilduring the sixteenth century by the
Portuguese, and today in Portugal and Brazil violas come in several formats,
names, and tunings. Most use double strings, some tuned in octaves and
others in unison. The Brazilian violas usually have ten frets. In the booklet
Baumann describes one peculiar kind of viola, the viola de cocho, its
construction techniques, the materials used in its construction, and its
variants (with two or three frets). Cocho is the name for the trunk of wood
from which this viola is carved. In the disc, the viola de cocho is used to
perform the composition "Siriema,"inspired by the song of a bird from the
Brazilian hinterland.
The viola caipira, however, is the main instrument heard on this CD. It
is an instrument connected with rural traditions in the northeastern and
central-southern regions of Brazil. The term caipira, in fact, refers specifi-
cally to the inhabitant of the rural areas of central-southern Brazil. Most of
Roberto Correa'scompositions and versions of traditionalmelodies are in the
caipira regional style, meaning they are prominently tonal, while the
northeastern viola musical tradition is frequently modal. Correaincludes an
arrangement of the famous northeastern baiao "Asa Branca," by Luiz
Gonzaga, which uses the lowered seventh of the scale (mixolydian mode).
The viola is generally used as an accompaniment for different regional
genres and styles, and the typical viola player usually performs only within
a small, rural-orientedcommunity. This is not the case with Roberto Correa,
however, who studies and researches several types of instrument making,
interviews and learns music from viola players throughout the central-
southern region of Brazil(especially in the states of Minas Gerais, Goias, and
Mato Grosso), and performs, lectures, and writes on the viola throughout
Brazil. Because of his exposure to a wide variety of instruments, rhythms,
and personal playing styles, Correacomposes not only in the traditionalviola
styles, but also expands the viola's harmonic possibilities and playing
techniques. While introducing the viola to an urban public, he reinterprets
the musical traditionand adapts it to an urban taste which emphasizes variety
of creation. Thus, a public unfamiliarto the instrument'snaturalconstituency
is exposed to one of rural Brazil's most important musical traditions.
The only drawback to Correa'sperformance is when he decides to sing.
Although he tries to emulate the nasal and cracking vocal styles of caipira

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464 Ethnomusicology, Fall 1991

singing, his performance shows his polished urban education. His viola
playing, however, is comparable to virtuoso folk violeiros like Ze Coco do
Riachao, and this is what makes the recording worthwhile.

Martha de Ulhoa Carvalho Brasilia, Brazil

Reference
Behague, Gerard
1982 "Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Brazilian Ethnomusicology." Latin American Music
Review 82:23-26.

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