Samba Influence

Samba: Roots and Influences
Introduction
Samba is one of the most popular forms of Brazilian music in the world. Its roots, strongly from Africa add to its history and power as an expressive outlet. Samba comes from the word “semba” of the Bantu language of South Africa which refers to dance and clapping of hands in a circular formation. Today, Samba is celebrated most widely through one of Brazil’s national celebration of Carnaval, located most famously in the Sambódromo of Rio de Janeiro. Samba schools participate in the parade where they are expected to present new developments of the musical tradition. Although Samba is deeply engrained in Brazil’s national heritage, these festivities have become commercialized for touristic purposes.
The development and evolution of samba music was largely contributed to by the black population’s migration into different states. Wherever they settled, it established an advantageous ground for the development of samba music. Their migration not only formed a mixture of races but also a mixture in Samba styles. In Rio de Janeiro, composers like Donga, Joao da Baiana and Pixinguinha started composing samba music at the same venue called Aunt Ciata’s Place believing that the namesake’s ability in cooking would contribute to the excellence of their music. Aunt Ciata’s Place also became a meeting place for musicians from all over the land. It likewise became a refuge for those who were struggling to make transitions in their music. The arrival of radio in the country elevated the status of samba into a fashionable form of music making it the most popular one of the era. (Rafael
It was eventually seen in the theatres as a humorous form of music, considering the suggestive choreography reminiscent of the umbigada and unique lyrics. Today, aside from its apparent contribution to Samba music, Lundu is still being danced in the northern part of Brazil, more commonly as a song form, and rarely as a dance using more subtle choreography. The Lundu is also performed in religious rituals. The Lundu's song form originated in the religious rituals of the Africans of Calundus, the development of its dance, however, may not be appropriate for religious activities but is more connected with courtship dance, which can also be traced from Angola’s messemba which is a pre-wedding ritual. The line between song and dance, secular and religious practices has created problems in the evolution of samba. Dance celebrations were often held after religious rituals and were prohibited by the government’s police forces. Samba suffered such repression triggering sambistas to use religious rituals as fronts for Samba festivities (Galinski