A Model for the Performance of Brazilian Song over Mário de Andrade and Oswaldo de Souza´s view

Abstract

Oswaldo de Souza’s songs were influenced by Brazilian folk and popular urban models. A good part of the recordings of his songs were performed by popular singers, even though his songs were frequently included in recitals by classical concert singers. Was one interpretation superior to the other? How can we know what Souza thought? There was much discussion in the 1930s and 40s in Brazil about how the Brazilian concert song should be sung, among them the significant research of Mário de Andrade. We will investigate here some aspects of this discussion to better understand the performance models current at the time and how they can influence us today in our interpretation of these songs.
Keywords: Oswaldo de Souza, Mário de Andrade, Brazilian chamber song, interpretation, Brazilian Portuguese diction