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Description

Program Notes

Many Brazilian folk dances are performed in circles, with the participants interacting with each other while moving in and out of

formation. In Lá vai meu bem! the arranger combines two of these dances: a carimbó and a cantiga de roda. The carimbó is a dance

from the Brazilian Amazon region, very popular in the coastal areas of the states of Pará and Maranhão. Carimbó or curimbó is the

name of a rustic low-pitched drum played to accompany this type of dance. Other instruments used to accompany the carimbó

include the guitar, guiros, shakers, and pandeiro.

The cantigas de roda are folk songs and dances performed by children, also while playing in a circle. These songs often have

specific movements to be performed by the singers illustrating the songs’ lyrics. They are quite common throughout the whole

country and often appear with slightly different regional variations in music, lyrics, or both.

In this work the composer combines Jacaré-coroa (or Eu sou, eu sou), a carimbó from the state of Pará, with Lá vai meu bem, a cantiga

de roda from Rio de Janeiro. An interesting aspect of this cantiga de roda is the responsorial form of the second section, in which

one group (a soloist in the original song) sings the verse and another responds with the refrain “there goes my love” (Lá vai meu

bem…), revealing the playful character of the song. Please consider adding movements or choreography to any sections of this

piece.

Daniel R. Afonso Jr.