Maracatu

Press "Play" below to hear A Banda play the Maracatu number "Na Dina":

According to historian Leonardo Dantas, in order to coordinate the management of Africans brought to Brazil as slaves on the first half of the 16th century, Portuguese settlers encouraged the institution of black kings and queens protected by catholic fraternities. The coronation pageants are believed to have originated maracatu's frolic music. Slavery abolition (in 1888) caused the disappearance of the King of the Congo (Muchino Riá Congo) and the maracatus were turned into music groups, parading on holidays and in Carnival.

Another historian, Pereira da Costa, describes the sumptuousness of centennial maracatu nations like that of Cambinda Velha, which anticipates the luxury boasted by samba schools: "The velvet banner was embroidered in gold, like the costumes wore by court members (...)". There were even thrones with canopy seats for the monarchs at fraternities' headquarters like Nação Elefante (from 1800), Leão Coroado (1863), Estrela Brilhante (1910), Indiano (1949) and Cambinda Estrela (1953).

Through field work realized between 1949 and 1952 and assembled in the book Maracatus do Recife (Irmãos Vitale, 1980), conductor Guerra-Peixe detailed the percussion layers: "the snare drum announces a slight roll beat, intertwined with pauses. At about the same time, the gonguê (or agogô, a metalic, sharp percussion instrument) comes into the rhythm, preceding the war drums. The snare drum has then moved from the initial scheme to its variations when the zabumbas (bass drums) begin. Random and violent baques (synonym for bangs, which follow two mainlines in maracatu: the loose bang and the twisted bang) are added, as well as the repiques (tiny tambourine played with a small stick), increasing the intensity of the set". The specific cadence has fascinated classical composers like Guerra-Peixe and Marlos Nobre, besides pop composers like frevo experts Capiba and Antônio Nóbrega.