Sinfonia de Birimbau Culture of Capoeira in Classical Music

By Mestre Jeronimo

Addressing education, arts and music through the current and past history of Europe, USA, Africa, Australia and Brazil, the book features music scores and many photos.
With my divergent ideas, I offer strategies to improve family, primary and university education. My inventive Music Method includes updates to improve the creation and interpretation of Brazilian, classical and other musical genres.
Discussing Brazilian Capoeira Culture that holds the title of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO, 2014) I teach that we must oppose all attitudes that devalue Brazilian Culture.
To prevent the growth of racism, I review the spelling of malicious words. I teach that we should use the correct spelling of the Brazilian word Capoeira (Capuêra, Capoera, Kaa-poera) with the initial 'C' capitalised, to avoid a pejorative association with the Portuguese chicken coop homonym "capoeira" (lower case).
Creating cross-cultural fusion with Capoeira, classical, rock and jazz instruments, I composed original songs and wrote eleven new scores, adding updates in the birimbau ("berimbau") notation for classical scores.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mestre Jeronimo
• Release date: Sep 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005242879

Mestre Jeronimo

MESTRE JERONIMO (Artiste & Author)Born and raised in the Brazilian Amazon jungle, I have been active since 1974 performing and producing creative music and arts. I hold an extensive unique experience with the culture of Capuêra (Kaa-poera, Capoeira Capuera, Capoera), Brazilian music, classical, folk, jazz, rock and commercial performance.I consider my top achievement in live the education I generate to inspire the welfare of my dear daughter Marina, born and raised in Bondi Beach.I am a bilingual person. Living in Brazil, Europe and Australia, I studied Brazilian, French, Spanish, English, German, and Italian languages.I spent 20 years working as a full time and part-time bassist in symphonic orchestras and have been a member and conductor in classical and folkloric vocal and instrumental ensembles, in Brazil and Australia.In my youth, I achieved national volleyball rank in Brazil. Nowadays my best hobby is to enjoy beach volley in Bondi Beach, playing it with my family and friends.I pioneered the establishment of the first Australian School of Capoeira in Sydney at the Bondi Pavilion Community Cultural Center, in 1988. Since that time, I teach and perform Capoeira and music for a variety of events in Australia and internationally.In 1994 in Sydney, I became a foundation member for the Brazilian Community Council of Australia (B.R.A.C.C.A.).I have recorded my original works in various genres and toured extensively.I write artistic and educational books.MY BILINGUAL BOOK & E-BOOK PUBLICATION10.Title: CAPOEIRA $LAVE RITUAL TOTAL RECALL – © December 2022 to June 2023 –– (I published six books in the tongue of Aussie, Brazilian, French, Spanish, Italian and German taxpayers)9.Title: CAPOEIRA INTERNET ROD@ VIRTUAL 2021 – ISBN 9781005207939 © September 2021 (Brazilian & English)8.Title: BIRIMBAU BRASILEIRO Método de Percussão – ISBN: 9781005830106 & 9781700225795 © October 2019 (Brazilian & English)7.Title: GUITAR TAB CHART Bilingual Divergent Music Education – ISBN: 9781005873196 & 9781081293833 © July 2019 (Brazilian & English)6.Title: CANTA CAPUÊRA Compilation of Capoeira Songs – ISBN: 9781005537869 & 9781096477297 © May 2019 (Brazilian & English)5.Title: SINFONIA DE BIRIMBAU Culture of Capoeira in Classical Music – ISBN 9781513625577 © August 2017 (English)4.Title: SINFONIA DE BIRIMBAU Cultura da Capoeira em Música Clássica – ISBN 9781513625584 © September 2017 (Brazilian)3.Title: SINFONIA DE BIRIMBAU Cultura de la Capoeira en Música Clásica – ISBN 9781513625560 © November 2017 (Spanish)2.Title: CAPOEIR@ INTERNET – ISBN 0 646 37351-X © 1999 (Brazilian & English)1.Title: CAPOEIRA $LAVE RITUAL – ISBN 0 646 263838 © 1995 (English)CD PRODUCTION:5. CD ENCHENTE © 2007 made in BR4. CD SEED OF FREEDOM © 2004 made in AU3. CD CAPOEIRA ART & RITUAL © 2002 made in AU2. CD WARRIORS DANCING © 1997 made in AU1. CD PALMARES IN AUSTRALIA © 1989 made in AUEXPERIENCE IN WORLDWIDE EVENTS:•Internationally (from 1985 to 2020) I've been teaching and performing music and Capoeira in Europe; Australia; New Zealand; Brazil; New Caledonia; USA; Canada and South Africa•Sydney (1990-2004) Festival of Sydney•Sydney (1992-2002) bassist performing classical music with: Sydney Opera House Orchestra; Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and Penrith Symphony Orchestra•Sydney (1993-2000) teaching children aged 3 to 10 at the Bondi Pavilion•Adelaide (1999 and 2002) WOMAD Festival•Sydney (from November1987 to 2006) Capoeira and Music Teacher at: Bondi Pavilion Community Cultural Centre; Sydney Conservatorium of Music; NSW University; University of Sydney and SBS Radio•New Zealand (1994) The University of Wellington•Auckland (1992) Asia Pacific Festival / New Zealand Arts Foundation•Brazil (1978 to 1983) Amazon Theatre Choir and Choir Madrigal Jovem de Brasília•Brazil (1981-84) bassist employed full time at State Youth Orchestra of Rio de JaneiroACADEMIC EDUCATION:•Certificate IV TESOL, TESOL Australia (2019)•Master of Music (Composition), University of Sydney (2018)•Graduate Diploma of Music (Performance), AMPA, Sydney (2017)•Diploma of Music (Performance), TAFE NSW (2015)•Diploma of Music (Business), TAFE NSW (2014)•Bachelor of Music (Contrabass Major), Brazil (1983)•Qualified Music Teacher, Brazil (1983)PROFESSIONAL PROFICIENCY:Teaching; composition; singing; recorder-flute; guitar, bass; piano; percussion; drum; and gumbark (aka didgeridoo); recording and mixing, programming music notation editors and Logic Pro digital audio workstation and sound effects; ePub digital conversion and validation for eBooks.Erudition in Brazil included teachers: João Maciel (guitar), George Geszti-student of Béla Bartók (recorder and theory), Dirson Costa and Levino Alcantara-students of Villa Lobos (choir and orchestra), Tony Botelho, Sandrino Santoro, Guido Bianchi (double bass), Nelson Aires, Roberto Sion (jazz/composition), amid others.Ever since living in Australia, Mestre Jeronimo has been sharing concerts and educational matters in conjunction with: Mike Nock (piano-jazz), Riley Lee (Japanese shakuhachi-flute), Mark Atkins (gumbark-didjeridu), Mike Ryan (trumpet-Latin/jazz), Jane Butler Andino (piano-Latin/classical/jazz), Monica Trapaga (singer, TV Presenter), Steve Reeves (double bass-Melbourne Symphony orchestra), Kees Boersma (double bass-Sydney Symphony orchestra), Guy Strazullo (guitar-jazz), Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet-jazz), Leon Gaer (bass-jazz), Gordon Rytmeister (drums-jazz/rock), Fabian Hevia (drums-Latin/jazz) and Dón Burrows (clarinet-jazz), among others.

Book preview

Abstract

With the subject of music in the foreground, I propose an evaluation of the appropriate schooling to rid ourselves of political demagogy that obstructs social and spiritual evolution.

My dissertation in this book contains images, original musical scores and an extensive discussion on music, school education, history and facts of the past and recent chronological developments of Capoeira marketed in Brazil, the United States and Australia; and all over the world. The central point of my document is to instruct to read and write music using suitable music clefs to identify Birimbau music on the score.

To demonstrate my idea and generate new original songs, I will need to review a topic in our school education. If people are really musically educated the culture of Birimbau will be indeed respected, even for its notation.

My research addresses how I developed a unique composition in the style of World Fusion, which brings together the genres of music, popular, classical, rock and jazz; keeping the original elements of Capoeira and of my native Brazilian culture. The academic rationale of my musical composition comes from the social and historical roots of the Capuêra culture, aka Kaa-poera, Capoera, or Capoeira, which holds a UNESCO Immaterial Cultural Title (2014).

My symphonic idea and philosophy with the Brazilian Birimbau, aka Gunga, Berra-Boi, Berimbau, Orucungo, etc., teaches the accurate use of the Brazilian word Capoeira, written with an initial capital letter. Hence, I apply my spell-check to identify a factual error in several academic studies that use the Portuguese word {capoeira/a hencoop} to address Brazilian culture.

As a result, we must be well aware that the term capoeira also names the lifestyle of Portuguese invaders in colonial Brazil, discriminating against enslaved Brazilians forced to work in chicken coops. Thus, to truthfully corroborate my hypothesis, I teach that we should not support research references or anyone that is misspelling the key word of the culture they refer to.

The Brazilian Birimbau is the leading instrument to create my music. To accurately identifying my Birimbau composition in the classical score, I provide an update using the treble and bass clefs.

Consequently, I no longer employ a trivial ethnic percussion clef that is also employed to stand for non-classical percussion. Thus, my composition and innovative notation style certifies the value of the Birimbau, both in terms of equality with the privileged classical notation that is generally intended exclusively for the noble melodic instruments (violin, piano, flute, etc.) as well as to lead and act as a main instrument.

The compositional production to corroborate my theory is written in eleven scores that produce fifty-nine minutes of audio.

Efficiently, my creative and educational idea creates the ideal musical ingredient to add improvements to the practice and composition with Birimbau also contributing to progress the main music research objectives of the renowned Brazilian composer and author, Luiz Almeida Da ANUNCIAÇÃO, of putting the instrument in conditions of equality with other musical instruments in terms of musical notation – (GALM, 2010).

Sinfonia de Birimbau © 2017

Prologue

Und jene die tanzten, wurden von denen für verrückt gehalten, die die Musik nicht hören konnten.

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm (1844-1900)

— Indeed, those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music, warns Nietzsche.

And in fact, there is no education in academic thesis of a sweet and submissive sheep writing to satisfy an intellectual panel of the university whose goal, evaluating student research, is to give a mark of approval on standardized and old-fashioned tests still in use in 2017, at the University of Sydney and other educational institutions in Australia and elsewhere.

Hence, to scientifically endorse an honest document with education, I will not compose music or do research denying my history by writing the word colonization instead of invasion, as it was unfortunately suggested to do. Nor will I omit in my document the term government lie, to denounce corruption and racism.

Trustworthy education must teach with accuracy to assist to evolve and progress our society. To further develop my thinking, I did an interview with the intellectual panel at the University of Sydney in 2016 and was admitted to play the Master of Music (Composition) degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Thus, my aim to introduce realistic academic data to enhance my book content with the outcome of my accurate experiences lived in our chief certified institution of music in Sydney achieved its goal.

Being born Brazilian, I require an orthographic update of the principal ingredient of my Brazilian culture, Capoeira: being used for educational, commercial, sport and research purposes.

The capoeira word in lower case letters suits well to identify the Portuguese customs of a shit chicken coop but is promoting the disrespect to the Brazilian’s cultural. Thus, to carry out a truthful research we cannot give support to the use of a capoeira spelling that discriminates the Brazilian culture of Capoeira.

To educate, we must apply the right spelling to refer to the Brazilian culture. Therefore, I teach that a capital letter [C] is required for the proper writing of Capoeira. With the education of the people and the upgrading of this crucial topic addressing the correct spelling of the Brazilian cultural, we can respect a work of research in this theme in its entirety.

As a result, the central gap that I find in many researches about the berimbau music shows the incorrect writing of the word capoeira in lowercase.

By means of my idea, I express my disapproval of what in classical music is improperly referred as ethnic percussion that produces culturally appropriations and sponsors racialist divisions.

Thus, my music in this project is aimed to bilingual or bi-musicians who are trained or have experienced other cultures and languages.

So, I seek to add an update to our educational system by implementing innovations to discard the attitude that disrespects Brazilian society and the Capoera culture.

With the creation of my new music notation methodology, I add a sociological discussion to improve the schooling of music. I recommend the use of the respected classical music clefs, treble and bass, to best identify the musical notation for Birimbau and the instruments inaccurately addressed as ethnic percussion.

The "re-dressing" of the Birimbau music notation in my practice is craftily employing the well illustrated treble and bass music clefs.

To achieve the required interpretation of the music from my Sinfonia de Birimbau, the musician must play by the ear and interpret the classical notation respecting the source of origin of the songs deeply rooted in the traditions’ of Capoeira.

Sinfonia de Birimbau © 2017

Chapter I

Overview

In this chapter, I have a brief discussion about the history of Capoeira, a culture that in my native Brazilian tongue has many dictions and spellings {Capuera, Kaa-puera, Capoera, etc.}; with whom the Brazilian Birimbau and its music are deeply associated.

I talk about the colonial origins of Capoera in Brazil and the birth of our two foremost contemporary Capoeira sportive style born in Bahia: Capoeira Regional and Capoeira Angola.

Being born Brazilian, I demand the written update of the main cultural ingredient of my Brazilian culture, Capoeira, being used for educational, commercial, sport and research purposes. Yet, inappropriately, there are many people disrespectfully addressing the Brazilian Intangible Cultural Art Form, a title granted by UNESCO on 2014, writing the Brazilian culture in European diction capoeira; the lowercase [c] capoeira (a chicken coop) word names the culture of the Portuguese. Besides, a cultural title is to be written respectfully with an initial capital letter.

This lower case writing attitude produces disrespects to the Brazilian culture. Therefore, to suitably write my document, I require discussing the importance of the proper language that must be employed to address the Brazilian Capoera Cultural Institution; employing a respectful capital letter [C] to address in writing my Brazilian culture.

I don’t separate my music creation from the politics of my history. Hence, I imperatively demand that my person and my traditions must be respected and acknowledged with the proper language that certifies whom we are in Brazil.

My music, which is the main subject in my study, has a soul; it’s not just an empty academic idea of music with no social identity.

Through my Sinfonia de Birimbau inventive musical experimentations, I aim to generate unique cross cultural concerts crafting an ideal synthesis with the amalgamation from the melodies of the Brazilian MPB music, jazz, classical, rock, and the contemporary world fusion music.

My music creation with the Birimbau is fundamentally associated with Capuera. As a result, it’s exceptionally important to understand every social aspect of this culture.

Our chronological data refer to the Portuguese who invaded the land of the South Americans insultingly discriminating the inhabitants as indian and the enslaved from Sub-Saharan Africa; who were forced to survive and work in Brazil. The Africans were amongst other exploited that were separate and forbidden from celebrating their traditions and ruthlessly banned from practicing any form of warfare.

Thus, Capoera is thought to have emerged in Brazil as another way to bypass racialist ruling against the oppressed enslaved from the European incursions in the territory they firstly invaded and later colonized with the arrival of voluntary immigrants, such as the Italians after 1870 and Japanese in 1908:

"mass immigration (in Brasil) replaced black slave workers during a crisis in the slave system and its subsequent abolition in 1888"(HUDSON, 1997)

Source: www.migracionoea.org/index.php/en/sicremi-en/34-sicremi/publicacion-2012/paises-en/496-sintesis-historica-de-la-migracion-internacional-brazil.html.

My preference of using a distinct Brazilian Capoera word choice is to support our education as I don’t agree with the subservient attitude imposed by the deceitful system that denies proper education to subjugate discriminating the common people.

So, this is why I will not submit the spelling of my Brazilian culture repeating obsolete and racist European expressions.

The word Birimbau, for instance, I write with [i] instead of e to both identify the genuine Brazilian that I am and to officially state a unique reference in my music performance and educational creative work.

Sinfonia de Birimbau © 2017

1.       

Capoera ― Significance of our Creative Art Form

What’s the meaning of the culture we name Capoeira {Capuera; Capuêra; Kaa’puera; Capoera}? What does Capoera embody in its totality to Brazilians? ―Despite the past of Brazilian Capoeira and its new traditions with a Birimbau {Gunga; Berra-boi; Berimbau} be living its present surrounded by myths and historical inaccuracies Capuêra’s practice took over the world. Undesirably, the exceptional artistic and educational experience of the divergent Brazilian Capoera culture is now unduly described as a trivial dance and also marketed with an inaccurate martial art label that does not correspond to its specific complete value. To progress my Capuêra and way of life, I’ve chosen to step far away from a submissive attitude imposed by racist European governments that discriminate Brazilians. Hence, we need to put an end to racial discrimination that segregates and disrespects our social identity and Capoeira traditions. Right away, let’s evaluate a crucial question to corroborate our education:

Brazilian Capoeira culture must be written with a big [C] capital letter to endorse respect for the traditions of Brazil and to respect the Brazilians. Particularly given that in the Portuguese language, which was imposed in colonial Brazil by the European invaders, such capoeira language of chicken shit written in lowercase incorporates a racist attitude referring to the Brazilian culture of Capoeira. Through the schooling of people with a precise connotation of the language to refer to the Brazilian Capoera, we must aim to put an end in the indoctrination of the lies used to encourage the disrespect and to end the racism imposed in the form of a law by successive racist governments.

C:\Users\Mestre Jeronimo\Documents\DMA - MARCH 2016\DMA - FOTOS\Bandeira do Brasil com mapa.png

To currently portray who the Brazilians are:

in 1872, when Brazil’s first census was conducted, the population was split into just two groups: free people and slaves, who then represented 15% of the population. The current population of Brazil is 211,398,990 as of Thursday, August 3, 2017, based on the latest United Nations estimates. Brazil population is equivalent to 2.83% of the total world population. Brazil ranks number 5 in the list of countries by population and preliminary results from the 2010 census, released on Wednesday, show that 97 million Brazilians, or 50.7% of the population, now define themselves as black or mixed race, compared with 91 million or 47.7% who label themselves white.

Reference:

www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/17/brazil-census-african-brazilians-majority; www.worldometers.info/world-population/brazil-population [access 04/08/2017].

Unacceptably, there are still large amounts of people who are incorrectly indoctrinated with lies to think Capoera is just physical routine playing gymnastics in a Roda de Capoera, the traditional circle where capueristas perform inventive tricks/games.

Nevertheless, I am teaching that the intrinsic meaning to identify a capuerista includes all living in conditions of slavery: e.g., paying rent, GST, bank fees and other government taxes. My metaphorical connotation of the word play represents an attitude embedded in Capoera’s form of resistance to fight against racial discrimination and social oppression. Based on the real circumstances experienced by the slaves and exploited, we can conclude that both Portuguese jargon capoeira (chicken run) and the Brazilian Capoera Culture both contain the meaning for my linguistic term: "$slave Ritual". ― (my idiolect is using the inclusion of a "$" dollar sign to broaden the meaning of my academic speech and add supplementary data in my philosophy).

Previously, using non conformist attitude to depict the factual slave connotation concerning the cultural practice of Capoera, I employed my $-slave nuance to teach that the ritualistic art form evolved in colonial Brazil and engages in astuteness, resistance to slavery, playing music and arts-crafting, self-defence, dance, gymnastics; awareness of the political affairs that we are required to vote, etc. And so, I published in Sydney my first book in 1995 within one iconoclast artistic {$}slave anecdote: Capoeira $lave Ritual: Freedom The Total Art.

Let’s logically evaluate the importance of using a capital [C] to lawfully and respectfully write Capoera. The conclusive proof is in these chronological events:

In 2008, in Brazil, capueristas had the registry of Capoera as a Brazilian intangible cultural art form. And, on 26 November 2014, Capoera was granted a special protected status as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. So, Capoeira’s cultural title must be spelled correctly with the initial capital letter.

July 5 is now a Capoeira Worldwide Day to commemorate the signing of the First International Convention of Practice in 2009, supported by the Artigo 10 da Convenção Internacional de Capoeira, article 10 of the International Convention of Capoeira – [my source: http://datascomemorativas.org/dia-mundial-da-capoeira-ou-capoeira-worldwide-day-5-de-julho].

Brazilians celebrate on August 3 an official date to exalt Dia do Capuerista, Capuerista’s Brazilian Day.

The date of November 20 is now officially celebrated in Brazil to honour King Zumbi (1655 ― November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares, as a hero, leader of the resistance, freedom fighter, and symbol of freedom. Thus, the icon Zumbi has become a Brazilian hero of the 20th-century political movement and a national hero for all capueristas.

February 2016, Capoera was granted official sportive status by the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. Up to this date, Capoera was only recognized by the Brazilian authorities as a traditional dance form. Capueristas and their group associations and federations in Brazil are now able to have the same financial support from this office as the other recognized arts and physical education disciplines.

My quotes incorporate my Capoeira cultural experience and additional statistics from a variety of websites that discuss this topic.

The article from a Brazilian citizen living in Canada, Marcio Mendes is writing about a divergent written Capuêra cultural attitude to update the schooling system: https://mestremarciomendes.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/the-meaning-of-capuera-and-capoeira-part-1-o-significado-de-capuera-e-capoeira-part-1 [access 12/08/2017].

Sinfonia de Birimbau © 2017

1.1

      The Origins of