Banda de Pífanos

Banda de Pífanos, a fife-and-drum ensemble—also called zabumba, banda cabaçal, and esquenta mulher—common among the mestizo populations of northeastern Brazil. Most likely brought to Brazil by Portuguese settlers as early as the sixteenth century, these ensembles are used for the rituals of folk Catholicism (prayer sessions, pilgrimages, processions) and for such secular functions as dramatic and social dances and revelry. The musicians, who are almost always male, learn to play strictly by ear and are typically rural agricultural workers or urban laborers. The bands comprise four to six instruments, including two pífanos (cane flutes), a zabumba (bass drum), a tarol (snare drum), a surdo (tenor drum), and pratos (hand cymbals). The repertoire consists of devotional music for the veneration of saints as well as music for social dancing and secular festivities. For religious occasions such as a novena (prayer session devoted to a saint), bandas de pífanos accompany the singing of hymns and praise songs, and play devotional music in honor of the saint in march and waltz rhythms. Secular dance music, such as Baião, forró, and xote, is played for community parties, in commercial dance halls, and on radio shows. Bandas de pífanos perform frequently during the June festivals honoring Saint Anthony, Saint John, and Saint Peter.

See alsoMusic: Popular Music and Dance .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

César Guerra-Peixe, "Zabumba: Orquestra nordestina," in Revista brasileira de folclore 10, no. 26 (1970): 15-38.

Additional Bibliography

Crook, Larry. Brazilian Music: Northeastern Traditions and the Heartbeat of a Modern Nation. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005.

Murphy, John P. Music in Brazil: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

                                     Larry N. Crook