Samba-enredo
Encyclopedia
Samba-enredo is a sub-genre of Samba
in which songs are performed by a samba school
(or escola de samba) for the festivities of Carnaval
. "Samba-enredo" is the Portuguese
equivalent of "samba in song", or "song samba".
Choosing a samba-enredo is a long and tedious process. Before Carnaval, months in advance, a samba school holds contests for writing the song. Each school receives many, sometimes hundreds of songs, hoping to be the next samba-enredo for that year.
They select the song by process of elimination and usually end up somewhere between five and ten songs. Around this time, the "finalist samba-enredos" are played with music and are voted on by the leaders of the samba school and the carnavalesco—the director of the school for Carnaval.
After months of deliberation, the new samba-enredo is chosen and becomes the voice of the samba school for Carnaval. The samba-enredo must be well sung by the samba school's puxador (or singer) or the school will lose points for the scoring and judging for the Carnaval competition. While the puxador sings, everyone marching in the Carnaval parade must sing along with him. Harmony
is crucial when singing the samba-enredo.
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
in which songs are performed by a samba school
Samba school
A samba school is a club or dancing school. They practice and often perform in huge square-compounds devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an African-Brazilian dance. The schools are traditionally associated with a particular neighborhood, often shanty towns...
(or escola de samba) for the festivities of Carnaval
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
. "Samba-enredo" is the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
equivalent of "samba in song", or "song samba".
Choosing a samba-enredo is a long and tedious process. Before Carnaval, months in advance, a samba school holds contests for writing the song. Each school receives many, sometimes hundreds of songs, hoping to be the next samba-enredo for that year.
They select the song by process of elimination and usually end up somewhere between five and ten songs. Around this time, the "finalist samba-enredos" are played with music and are voted on by the leaders of the samba school and the carnavalesco—the director of the school for Carnaval.
After months of deliberation, the new samba-enredo is chosen and becomes the voice of the samba school for Carnaval. The samba-enredo must be well sung by the samba school's puxador (or singer) or the school will lose points for the scoring and judging for the Carnaval competition. While the puxador sings, everyone marching in the Carnaval parade must sing along with him. Harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
is crucial when singing the samba-enredo.