Books About Brazilian Music in English

Maria-Brazil - An Associate of Amazon.com

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Some of our favorite books about Brazilian music are available from Amazon.com. You can check their shipping options, customer service and Amazon.com Bill of Rights pages. My whole family shops there all the time; it's fast, safe and cheap. They'll gift wrap, ship anywhere in the world and send your personal message along. Go to Amazon.com and do a search under "Brazil." You'll be able to choose from hundreds and hundreds of titles...gee, I never knew there were so many books about Brazil in the US! And yes, if you order through this page, I'll make a little money to help keep this site alive.

The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil. Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha. New York: Billboard Books, 1991. Illustrated, comprehensive guide to the rich musical culture of Brazil.The 1998 Temple University edition will be available in March. Chris says it's bigger and better and we can't wait because we have the 1991 edition and use all the time. It's our major reference book in English.

WHY IS THIS COUNTRY DANCING? A ONE-MAN SAMBA TO THE BEAT OF BRAZIL. John Krich. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993. The author travels through Brazil in search of an answer to this question. Encounters with famous and anonymous songwriters, a tour of Afro-Brazilian religions, and more.

Música Brasileira: A History of Popular Music and the People of Brazil. Claus Schreiner. New York: Marion Boyars Publishers Inc., 1993. Originally published in Germany in 1977, the book has been updated and translated into English. It's a wonderful compedium of Brazilian Popular Music, covering the folklore, choro and different types of samba, carnaval, instrumental groups, censorship, copyright, etc. You must add this one to your shelf like I'm doing.

Making Simple Musical Instruments. Bart Hopkin. Ashville, NC: Lark Books, 1995. If you want to make your own cuíca for carnaval, check this out. Bart shows how to build one from a coffee can! A friend gave this to me. The instructions are very clear, with plenty of illustrations, a list of materials and a playing guide! Try it and let me know how it works out!

Samba. Alma Guillermoprieto. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Journalist and dancer Guillermoprieto joined the famous samba school Mangueira for a year. A story about carnaval but also an examination of the history and culture of black Brazilians.

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