The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Lundu genre · 1780–1910

Choro takes lundu’s Afro-Brazilian syncopated 2/4 into an instrumental strain school: guitar literacy, off-beat melody, and a roda that still knows song-dance.

Influence
Polka form · 1830–

Choro takes polka’s duple strain page as its main European dance chassis: AABB-style sections, 2/4, and a salon-to-roda instrumental job.

Influence

Choro

genre · 1870–

Also called chorinho

Rio instrumental popular school: flute or cavaquinho lead, guitar accompaniment, and written-then-improvised strains (Pixinguinha, Nazareth). It hears Polka for the duple strain page and Lundu for Afro-Brazilian syncopation, and already gives Bossa nova nylon-guitar craft and popular-song harmony. Not a parent of Samba (a sibling urban school on the same Rio floor). Maxixe leftover as a dance sibling. Waltz and schottische leftover as European repertory neighbors.

Listen

  1. Apanhei-te cavaquinho Ernesto Nazareth (1914) YouTube · Spotify
  2. Carinhoso Pixinguinha (1917) YouTube · Spotify
  3. Lamentos Pixinguinha (1928) YouTube · Spotify
  4. Brasileirinho Waldir Azevedo (1947) YouTube · Spotify
  5. Tico-Tico no Fubá Zequinha de Abreu (1917) YouTube

Passed on

Bossa nova genre · 1958–

Bossa takes choro’s instrumental literacy: chromatic popular-song harmony, nylon-guitar accompaniment, and a small Rio chamber.

Influence

Lundu → Choro

meter and groovemelodyperformance practicestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1870–1910oralnotation

Mechanism

Choro takes lundu’s Afro-Brazilian syncopated 2/4 into an instrumental strain school: guitar literacy, off-beat melody, and a roda that still knows song-dance. Strength medium. Polka is the European page; this hop is the African-Brazilian time.

Evidence

Early choro syncopation against polka strains; McGowan on lundu in the Rio popular mix that chorões play.

Debate

Whether samba already covers this. Samba is a sibling urban school; choro’s syncopation is older and instrumental.

Mediators

community: Rio chorões

Polka → Choro

meter and grooveform and structurefunction and contextstrength: highscholarly consensus1870–1910notationdanceoral

Mechanism

Choro takes polka’s duple strain page as its main European dance chassis: AABB-style sections, 2/4, and a salon-to-roda instrumental job. Strength high. Lundu supplies Afro-Brazilian syncopation (lundu choro). Waltz and schottische leftover as repertory neighbors.

Evidence

Early published choros beside polkas; Pixinguinha and Nazareth books; McGowan and Grove on polka in choro’s mix.

Debate

Whether maxixe is the real duple parent. Maxixe is a sibling urban dance on the same floor; the instrumental strain school quotes polka.

Mediators

community: Rio chorões; artist: Chiquinha Gonzaga

Choro → Bossa nova

harmonyperformance practiceinstrumentationstrength: mediumscholarly consensus1958–1964oralpedagogyrecording

Mechanism

Bossa takes choro’s instrumental literacy: chromatic popular-song harmony, nylon-guitar accompaniment, and a small Rio chamber. Strength medium. Samba and samba-canção remain the song and groove parents. Choro is not a parent of samba (sibling urban school).

Evidence

Jobim’s pianist-composer training on the choro-popular page; Gilberto’s guitar inside that Rio instrumental world (McGowan, Grove).

Debate

Whether impressionism already covers the harmony (impressionism bossa nova). Impressionism is Debussy/Ravel color; this hop is the local choro guitar school.

Mediators

artist: Antônio Carlos Jobim; artist: João Gilberto