Marcha Carnavalesca Style Overview
Marcha Carnavalesca Music Description
Marchinha Carnavalesca, also called "Marchinha de Carnaval" or simply "Marchinha" is one of several genres of music typical of urban Carnival in southeast region of Brazil.
Regularly played by a solo vocalist or choir accompanied by a band of brass and percussion, the lyrics / themes were mostly comic, satirical and spicy, ironizing the conservative behavior and politics of everyday life. Initially composed to be played and sung in the carnival blocks that paraded through the streets of the cities, they were adopted as soundtracks for the carnival balls in closed halls, called "Bailes de Carnaval". Because of the simplicity of the lyrics, almost always in one or two verses and chorus, most of the recordings were made in the form of medleys, grouping several songs into few tracks, as played on the balls. The first Marchinha was the composition (in 1899) of Chiquinha Gonzaga entitled "O Abre Alas," made to the Cordão Carnavalesco "Rosa de Outro." The most famous song in style is "Cidade Maravilhosa," the official anthem of Rio de Janeiro, composed in 1934 by André Filho.
