Beach Song. Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. Vol.9

Beach Song (Canção Praieira)

The word praieira can refer to a person who lives close to the beach or on the coast; or to someone who is fond of and often goes to the beach; or to a type of song whose theme is the sea (Houaiss: 2001, 2277). Singing of the sea as an element of nature, and as a witness of love, struggles and tragedies, has its roots in romanticism and in the concerns of the first folklorists. The Ceará-born poet and folklorist, Juvenal Galeno (1836-1931) penned the following verses:  “My sailing jangada,( (traditional wooden fishing rafts, typical of the Brazilian Northeast), Which winds do you yearn to follow? Do you want winds from land? Or do you want winds from the sea?”  The poem Canção do Norte (‘Song of the North’) by Thomaz Lopes (1879-1913) and set to music by Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) sings of light, the sun, the sky, and jangadas, became later the anthem of state of Ceará.

In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the song Praieira by Otoniel Menezes (1895-1969) and Eduardo Medeiros (1877-1961) became the anthem of the state capital, Natal. Real facts also nourish legends about adventures at sea and about the adventurous and fearless behavior of fishermen. In 1881, a group of jangadeiros (the fishermen who sail the jangadas) from Ceará, led by José do Nascimento, joined the group of intellectuals from the abolitionist movement (abolition of slavery would occur later that decade, in 1888) and organized a strike by refusing to transport slaves on their boats. José do Nascimento became known as Dragão do Mar (Sea Dragon) and is considered a hero among Northeasterners. The radio boom in the 1940s and 1950s coincided with the growth of many state capitals in the Northeast as well as with the creation of a new type of job market for musicians: to play and sing in bars and restaurants. Luiz Assunção (1902-1987) became part of that tradition. Songs such as ‘Jangadeiro do Ceará’ [Jangadeiro from Ceará] (1931), ‘Vive Seu Mané Chorando’ [Mr. Mané is Always Crying] (1946), ‘A Sereia vem te buscar ‘[The Mermaid is coming to get you] (1949), ‘Adeus Praia de Iracema’ [Good Bye, Iracema Beach] (1954), and ‘Iracema, Rainha do Mar’ [Iracema, Queen of the Sea] (1955) are some of his best known works (see discography).

          At the time of the radio boom, regional groups proliferated (groups comprised of one or two voices, a guitar and some small-size percussion instrument), which entertained radio-listeners and pub-goers in the cities. The group Trio Nagô (the Roquete Pinto-award winner for best vocal group in 1954) is one such group that, after being a local hit for their interpretations of praieira songs, migrated to Rio de Janeiro and continued their success, even starring in movies (see discography). The images of paradisiacal life on the beaches of the Brazilian Northeast began to circulate around the incipient media industry at that time. The saga of jangadeiros such as Jacaré, Tatá, Mané Preto and Mestre Jerônimo—who in 1941 left Fortaleza by sea and sailed to Rio de Janeiro to sensitize the labor-based Getúlio Vargas administration (1934-45) regarding the difficult economic and social conditions of sea workers—went far beyond Brazilian borders. The fishermen’s drama attracted the attention of film-maker Orson Wells, who came to Brazil on behalf of the American government (in 1942) to document Rio’s carnival as well as the saga of the fishermen. The film It’s All True was never released commercially, mainly because during filming, a wave capsized the jangada and the expedition leader (Jacaré) tragically drowned.

          Humberto Teixeira (1915-1979), best known for his song lyrics about the backlands (sertão), also sings the beauties of the sea in a song called Terra da Luz [“Land of Light”] (1945). However, it is Dorival Caymmi (b. 1914 in Salvador, Bahia) who has sung the most about the sea. Already well-known on Salvador radio, he went to Rio de Janeiro (in 1938) during the effervescence of the auditorium programs of Rádio Nacional and established the characteristics of the praieiro gender within the media of that time, thus influencing generations of musicians through his unique composing and singing style. He invented specific guitar strums and beats in order to preserve the interpreter’s diction. (Tatit: p.106). The slow rhythm of his melodies and the light harmony of his songs highlight the lyrical and serene side of the joy of life by the sea. Beach song compositions can also be heard in As Velas do Mucuripe [“The Sails of Mucuripe”] (1972) by Raimundo Fagner (b. 1949) and A.C. Belchior (b. 1949), as well as Praieira (1994) by Chico Science (1966-1997), representing some more up-to-date versions of this music style.  

Bibliography.

Assunção, Luiz. 1982. O Enamorado Bohemio do Piano. [The Piano-Enamored  Bohemian]. Fortaleza/CE. Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza.

 Azevedo, M.A de (Nirez). 1982. Discografia Brasileira em 78 rpm [Brazilian Discography in 78rpm]. Rio de Janeiro FUNART.

Caymmi, Dorival. 1978. Cancioneiro da Bahia [Bahia’s Song Book]. São Paulo. Livraria Martins Editora.

Caymmi, Stella. 2002. Dorival Caymmi – o mar e o tempo [Dorival Caymmi –the sea and the weather]. São Paulo. Editora 34.

Lisboa Júnior, Luiz Américo. 1990. A presença da Bahia na Música Popular Brasileira [Bahia’s presence in Brazilian Popular Music]. Brasília. Editora Musimed.

Marcondes, Antonio Marcos (editor). 1977. Enciclopédia da Música Brasileira [Encyclopedia of Brazilian Music]. São Paulo. Art Editora. 

Mariz , Vasco. 1959. A Canção Brasileira. [The Brazilian Song] - Rio de Janeiro. MEC.

Risério, Antônio.1993. Caymmi–uma utopia de lugar [Caymmi- a place utopia]. São Paulo. Editora Perspectiva.

Severiano, Jairo e Mello, Zuza Homem de. 1999. A Canção no Tempo. [The Song in Time]. São Paulo. Editora 34.

Tatit, Luiz. 1996. O Cancionista, composição de canções no Brasil  [The Songster, a composition of songs in Brazil]. São Paulo. EDUSP.

Vasconcelos, Ari. 1965. Panorama da Música Popular Brasileira [Panorama of Brazilian Popular Music].(vol 2). Rio de Janeiro. Martins Editora.

Discographical  References.

Caymmi, Dorival. ‘Rainha do Mar’ (side A). ‘Promessa de Pescador’- (side B). / Odeon. 78rpm. Nº 11.760. 1939. Brazil.

Teixeira, Humberto.’Terra da Luz’. Singer: Déo e Côro Apiacás/ orquestra Napoleão Tavares/ orquestração de Lauro Maia. Continental . 78rpm. Nº 15437ª. 1945. Brazil.

 Assunção, Luiz. ‘Vive Seu Mané Chorando’ Singer: Trio Nagô. 78rpm. Continental 78rpm.  Nº 17.184-A. Matriz  C3678. 1946. Brazil.

Assunção, Luiz. ’Vive Seu Mané Chorando’ .Singer: Evaldo Golveia. RCA VICTOR LP 33rpm. Referência 1000 12” L-A-F2. 1965. Brazil.

Assunção, Luíz. ‘Adeus Praia de Iracema’ Singer: Alcimar Monteiro.  LP 33rpm. Continental. Nº 1.07.405.179-A 12”-F. 1980. Brazil.

Caymmi, Dorival. ‘Canções Praieiras’. LP. Odeon. LDS 3004. n.d. Brazil.

Caymmi, Dorival. ‘ Canções do Mar’ . LP Odeon. BWB 1002.1957. Brazil.

Caymmi Dorival. ‘Caymmi e o Mar’. LP. Odeon. MOFB 3011. 1957. Brazil.

Caymmi, Dorival. ‘The Sea; songs’. LP. HED-ARZI. 1974. USA.

Caymmi, Dorival. ‘Caymmi e seu Violão’. LP /Odeon. MOFB 3093.n.d. Brazil.

Fagner, Raimundo /Belchior, A. C. ‘As Velas do Mucuripe’.Singer: Elis Regina. ELIS. LP. Philips Nº 6349032. 1972. Brazil.

Science, Chico. ‘Praieira’. Da Lama ao Caos/ Banda Nação Zumbi. Sony. ASIN BOOOOOG9N6. 1994. Brazil.

Barrozo, Carlos. ‘No Ceará é assim’. Pedras que Cantam. Singer: Raimundo Fagner. BMG. LP Vinil 150.0016. CD 10.092.1999. Brazil.

Menezes, Otoniel and Medeiros, Eduardo. ‘Serenata do Pescador- Praieira’ Arquivo de Música Popular Leide Câmara. AA.0001.000. CD comemorativo dos 80 anos da canção Praieira. 2002. Brazil.

Nepomuceno, Alberto/Lopes, Thomaz. ‘Hino do Estado do Ceará’. Governo do Estado do Ceará/ Secretaria de Cultura. Gravadoras Ararena/Pró-Audio/Vila Estúdio. CD. AA005000. 2004. Brazil.

Câmara, Diva. ‘Praias do Ceará’. Sons e Sonhos. Tapera Artes. Patrocínio da Prefeitura de Aquiráz-Ceará. Nordeste Digital Line S/A CNPJ 01247 965/000146.

2006. Brazil.

Mércia Pinto.

University of Brasília.