tropicalism the tropicalist revolution on the brazilian music and culture

TropicalismThe tropicalist revolution on

the brazilian music and culture.

What was it?

• It was a rupture movement that shook the whole environment of the Brazilian popular music (MPB).

• The movement aimed to universalize the language of MPB incorporating elements from world youth culture, such as rock, psychedelia and the electric guitar.

When did it happen?

• The movement happened between the years of 1967 and 1968;

• The country was newly dominated by the military dictatorship;

• Especially the people connected with the cultural system and the student movement were on fire against the millitary presence on the power and the first signs of the censorship.

Who was part of it?

• The most influential artists were;– Caetano Veloso;– Gilberto Gil,– Gal Costa; – Tom Zé;– Mutantes; – Rogério Duprat;– José Carlos Capinan and Torquato Neto (lyricists)– Rogério Duarte (graphic artist, composer and

poet);– Glauber Rocha (movie director)

Impacts on the Brazilian culture

• Tropicalism mixed:– Rock, bossa nova, samba, rumba, bolero and baião.

• Broke the rigid barriers that remained in the country:– pop vs. folklore, high culture vs. mass culture, tradition vs.

avant-garde.

• There were impacts on:– Music;– Politics;– Morals;– Behavior;– Body;– Sex;– Clothing.

Example Phrases

• “We wanted the youth to think. And on a dictatorship tinhking is impossible” Tom Zé

• “You’re not understanding anything” Caetano Veloso

• “It’s forbidden to forbid” Caetano Veloso

Reflection for today

“The wait for a bridge beyond the artists and their understanding of the

period might explain the stance of inert spectators in that room at the

end of the documentary. As we waited for a continuation, an extension of a time that now seems dispersed or

without an effect offstage…

…In other words: how, after all this, we managed to get as cowards,

reactionaries and conformed?”

Matheus Pichonelli, Carta Capital, 2012

References:• http://tropicalia.com.br/

• http://www.infoescola.com/movimentos-culturais/tropicalia-tropicalismo/

• http://www.cartacapital.com.br/cultura/essas-pessoas-na-sala-de-jantar/

Thanks!Estela Loth Costa

estela.loth@engenharia.ufjf.br