Listening to Brazilian Popular Music

In this course we will study the roots, development, and contemporary trends in Brazilian popular music from both a historical and a cultural/literary perspective. We will focus on musical traditions as diverse as samba, bossa nova, and Brazilian rap, as well as on literary texts that, since the late 19th century, question the very notion of popular music in Brazil. Singers and composers analyzed will include Carmen Miranda, Tom Jobim, and MV Bill. Writers such as Machado de Assis and Lima Barreto will provide us with a literary counterpart to thinking about Brazilian popular music. Proficiency in Portuguese or Spanish recommended.