Bossa Nova’s Role in Political Expression
Image courtesy of notevenpast.org
When thinking of Bossa Nova, often the first things that come to mind for most are the romantic and idyllic lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s and Tom Jobim’s 1967 hit “The Girl From Ipanema”. However, there is much more meaning to the Brazilian Jazz genre than most might suspect.
In the late 1950’s, under President Juscelino Kubitschek’s progressive and forward-looking government, musicians were experimenting with new harmonies, rhythms, and expressions. As a result, Bossa Nova was pioneered from a combination of elements derived from other genres. João Gilberto and Antonios Carlos Jobim’s ‘Chega de Saudade’ is widely considered to be the first song of the genre, which is characterized by syncopated Samba rhythms, jazz harmonies, poetic lyrics, soft vocals, and relatively sparse instrumentation. In the following years, artists such as Stan Getz, Luiz Bonfa, Chico Buarque, Astrud Gilberto, and countless others contributed to the vast library of Bossa Nova music. One notable artist was Nara Leão.
Much of Leão’s work was inspired by ongoing political developments. After a coup in 1964 led to the creation of a strict military dictatorship, Leão responded with her theatrical show, Opinião. Opinião was full of music that contained lyrics that explicitly protested against Castello Branco’s oppressive policy towards journalists, academics, singers, and other outspoken artists at the time.
“They can arrest me, they can beat me
They can, even leave me without eating
What I don't change my mind
From here on the hill I don't leave, no
From here on the hill I don't leave…”
- from “Opinião” by Leão.
Leão’s work inspired many other Bossa Nova artists to speak out against Castello’s government.
Antonio Carlos Jobim took a more subtle approach than Leão. His background in jazz as well as the music of Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, and Stravinsky gave him the ability to use harmonic language to send subliminal messages. In his song “Sabiá”, Jobim uses multiple techniques to do so. While the lyrics describe certain changes in Brazil, the instruments utilize minor modes to invoke feelings of sadness and discontent in the listener. In other parts, chromaticism in lower registers creates a looming and ominous sound that foreshadows the future of Brazil under the totalitarian regime. Jobim additionally utilized tonal instability in “Sabia” to undermine the positivity of the lyrics.
