Paulo Steinberg: A Brazilian Music Analysis

I recently attended the lecture-recital given by Paulo Steinberg on October 8, 2017 at Mary Baldwin University. The lecture-recital that Paulo Steinberg gave included powerpoint slides with details on Brazilian music and short performances mixed in with the lecture to give an overall educational and enlightening experience. The pieces played all had Brazilian themes with great emphasis placed on Brazilian Chorros, a type of Brazilan music that portrays sadness and melancholy. The first piece played was titled Bachianas Brasileriras No. 4 (Preludio-Introduco) by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Throughout this piece, the melody remains sad and moody, indicative of the b minor key that the piece is written in. The texture of the Preludio-Introduco is a homophonic texture with the treble clef playing the melody and the bass clef playing the accompaniment. The composition
The melody of the piece starts off as light and airy, then midway through the piece it the melody drastically changes to harsh tones played in an excited frenzy. This transition from melancholy and sadness to excitement portrays the true divide that occurs in Brazilian music, the line between the distraught and the upbeat Brazilian cultural music. This piece has a simple harmony and structure that flow smoothly together. The piece also contains the characteristic syncopation often seen in choros that gives it a distinct sound of distraughtness. This piece is a wonderful example of polyphonic texture with two lines of music moving independently of each other. The two voices come together to create a beautiful and light melody. Midway through the piece, a distinct change in the tempo occurs and the melody turns to a harsh bashing, and a clash of the voices in the treble and bass clefs occur. The contrasting black and white keys are used to produce this unique sound in the middle of this