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LUIZ HENRIQUE FIAMINGHI
A Fiddle forgotten: the revival of the
Brazilian rabeca
by Luiz Henrique Fiaminghi [Anima
group,
SUMMARY: Luiz will speak about, and demonstrate, the
Brazilian fiddle known as “rabeca”.
Since 1995 he has been working deeply in the
performance field regarding the use of indigenous Brazilian fiddles. They are
usually known as "rabecas", a word that link
them directly to the Marroquian "rabab". The rabeca was
brought to the Brazilian cost by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and
remained forgotten by official music circles for long time. In the last decade
it has begun to come into its own right, as an instrument with its own
qualities and musicality.
In recent years he has also been researching the
rabeca, alongside his work on the performance side. This research is
being carried out at UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas,
Luiz performs on the rabeca. He is a member of the group Anima.
Their website is located at http://www.animamusica.art.br/index_br.html
The following is a review of two of the group’s CDs. Samples can be
heard on the group’s website:
+++++++++++++
ANIMA — Espiral do tempo MCD 022 (1997), Especiarias
MCD 070 (2000).
Isa Taube (voice), Ivan Vilela
(Brazilian ten string guitar), João Carlos Dalgalarrondo (percussion), José
Eduardo Gramani (Brazilian fiddles), Luiz Henrique Fiaminghi (Brazilian
fiddles), Patricía Gatti (harpsichord), Valeria Bittar (recorders). Paulo
Freire replaces Ivan Vilela as guitarist on Especiarias and sadly, José
(Zé) Gramani passed away – this CD is dedicated to his memory.
The Brazilian ensemble ANIMA’s juxtaposition, fusion
and extrapolation of early European and traditional Brazilian music is
refreshing and exciting — the best ‘world music’ I’ve heard in a long time.
ANIMA was formed in 1988 originally to interpret
early European music on period instruments. From 1992 the group began to
research it’s own native oral musical tradition and to
interweave that into, and alongside, their early music repertoire. Baroque
violins were replaced with Brazilian fiddles (rabecas) and the 10-string
Brazilian guitar (viola caipira) was added.
The renaissance and baroque recorders and 18th
Century harpsichord maintained their place, while voice and percussion instruments
from the Arabic and Persian tradition make up the group’s tantalising musical
palette.
The result is a convincing original musical style and
language — a step beyond dizzying multicultural potpourri — that effortlessly
and unapologetically melds ancient art music with living folk song; the
‘sophisticated’ with the ‘crude’. The sleeves notes (Espiral do Tempo)
talk of ANIMA’s quest for a "point of convergence" between these two
worlds, "an imaginary symbolism [Espiral/spiral] … that connects
the individual to the universal".
Perhaps because of
ANIMA perform mediaeval music as well as anyone,
exemplified by their rendition of Se Jamais Jour (anonymous 14th
century, Reina Codex), Machaut’s Je Vivroie Liemant and troubadour Peire
Cardenal’s Tartarassa ni Voutor (Espiral do
Tempo). Singer, Isa Taube, reminds me a little of the Hesperion XX’s
great Montserrat Figueras, with her vocal arabesques and ability to ‘soar’ like
an eagle, or an angel.
The tuneful and lyrical Brazilian folk songs, and
other songs from Catalan and Iberian traditions, are simply beautiful. But
ANIMA rarely just lets them lie, and this is when some of the best music making
happens. Ó mana (Especiarias) is taken from a collection of
folksongs from the Northeast of Brazil made famous by Villá-Lobos in his Bachiana
No.4. This mournful dirge transforms into the lively and well-known
estampie, La Rotta (anon. 14th century) that is normally preceded by Lamento
di Tristan. Ó mana becomes the lament and replaces Tristan —
here popular Brazilian culture sits easily next to it’s
ancient cousin, connected by the ‘espiral do tempo’.
There are too many gems to mention all in this space,
but some of my favourites include the startling ‘chaconne’ (Gotejando -
José Gramani,) where the fundamental ostinato is orchestrated by kalimba
(African thumb piano) and harpsichord; and Valeria Bittar’s wild, sliding
recorder improvisation that quickly falls into a fast saltarello
alongside the plaintive traditional Aboio that expresses the melancholy
of an abandoned herdsman’s wife (Especiarias). The transition between
the many patchworks here, and throughout, is very free and organic.
A timbrel highlight in Espiral do Tempo, and
perhaps something unique in recorder literature, occurs at the bridge between A
Força do Boi (Citations to the Bull) and Je Vivroie Liement. Rich,
deep-pitched recorder vocalisations and upper harmonics, from overblowing,
effectively imitate the lowing of a bull and then neatly metamorphose into a
grainy bass pedal for the next track, the mediaeval Je Vivroie. It is an
inspired moment, earthy and primeval.
The sound production qualities of both CDs are
second-to-none and the CD packaging is elaborate. They are both
exquisite, hardbound full colour booklets, containing loads of
information about ANIMA, each track, and all the lyrics in Brazilian
(Portuguese) with English translations.
This music will be an inspiration to those interested
in exploring ways of integrating early music idioms and repertoire into dynamic
contemporary cultural settings.
These CDs have given me great joy and I highly
recommend them to you.
More information and contacts —
ANIMA: http://www.animamusica.art.br/
CD Review for Cinnamon
Sticks, The Recorder in Australasia (Vol 1 No.2, May 2001) by Rodney
Waterman