Marchinha (Little March)
The soundtrack of Carnival’s good old times
Silvio Essinger
11/10/2000
Even more than the samba-enredo (as practiced by samba schools in Carnival parades), marchinha is regarded as the typical rhythm of Carnival in Brazil. Its golden era lasted from the 20s through the 60s, when some of the most popular songs in the country followed the style. Composer Chiquinha Gonzaga wrote the very first marchinha, Ô Abre Alas – also the first song written especially for Carnival -, in 1899.
Mixing in the binary compass of martial music, fast tempo (especially on the second half of the 20th century, due to the influence of jazz big bands), unadorned, uplifting melodies and witty lyrics, marchinhas bear a typically carioca (from Rio de Janeiro city) spirit. Up till the 1920s, when Sinhô emerged with the song O Pé de Anjo, a significant part of the available marchinhas was imported from Portugal. Local productions would emerge with compositions by Eduardo Souto (Eu Quero É Beliscar, Goiabada, Só Teu Amor, Não Sei Dizê, Pai Adão), Freire Júnior (Ai, Amor) and Sinhô (Fala Baixo, Não Quero Mais, Sai da Raia).
Golden era
Machinha ruled over Brazilian music’s trends from the 30s on, interpreted by Carmem Miranda, Almirante, Mário Reis, Dalva de Oliveira, Silvio Caldas, Jorge Veiga and Black-Out. In the midst of confetti and sprayed ether, these singers gave life to the music of João de Barro, a.k.a. Braguinha (author of most remarkable songs like Chiquita Bacana and Yes! Nós Temos Bananas, with Alberto Ribeiro), Noel Rosa (Pierrô Apaixonado), Ary Barroso (Eu Dei) and Lamartine Babo (Linda Morena).
As the 60s kicked in, the popularization of Carnival parades set the beginning of the rise of samba-enredo and the fall of marchinha. José Roberto Kelly was one of the last marchinha composers, nonetheless writing some of the most renowned singles, like Cabeleira do Zezé and Mulata Iê-Iê-Iê. Military censorship along the decade caused the style to go underground, except for a few isolated enterprises such as Caetano Veloso’s Samba, Suor e Cerveja and Chico Buarque’s O Boi Voador. Braguinha and Alberto Ribeiro’s Balancê, written in 1937, was turned into a top hit when Gal Costa recorded it in 1980 – and that was marchinha’s last breath.
Songs
Ô Abre Alas (Chiquinha Gonzaga)
Cidade Maravilhosa (André Filho) – Aurora Miranda
Pierrô Apaixonado (Noel Rosa e Heitor dos Prazeres)
Touradas em Madri (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro)
Chiquita Bacana (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro) – Emilinha Borba
Taí (Joubert de Carvalho) – Carmen Miranda
Florisbela (Nássara e Frazão)
A Jardineira (Benedito Lacerda e Humberto Porto)
O Teu Cabelo Não Nega (Irmãos Valença e Lamartine Babo) – Castro Barbosa
Yes, Nós Temos Bananas (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro)
Sassaricando (Luís Antônio, Jota Júnior e Oldemar Magalhães) – Rita Lee
Linda Morena (Lamartine Babo)
Alá-Lá-Ô (Haroldo Lobo e Nássara)
Mamãe Eu Quero (Jararaca e Vicente Paiva) – Carmen Miranda
Eu Dei (Ary Barroso) – Carmen Miranda
Pirata da Perna de Pau (João de Barro)
Aurora (Roberto Riberti e Mário Lago)
Cachaça (Lúcio de Castro, Heber Lobato, Marinósio Filho e Mirabeau) – Carmen Costa
Me Dá Um Dinheiro Aí (Homero Ferreira, Glauco Ferreira e Ivan Ferreira)
Mulata Iê-Iê-Iê (José Roberto Kelly) – Emilinha Borba
Cabeleira do Zezé (João Roberto Kelly e Roberto Faissal) – Jorge Goulart
Maria Sapatão (Chacrinha)
Balancê (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro) – Gal Costa
Coisa Acesa (Moraes Moreira e Fausto Nilo) – Moraes Moreira
Mixing in the binary compass of martial music, fast tempo (especially on the second half of the 20th century, due to the influence of jazz big bands), unadorned, uplifting melodies and witty lyrics, marchinhas bear a typically carioca (from Rio de Janeiro city) spirit. Up till the 1920s, when Sinhô emerged with the song O Pé de Anjo, a significant part of the available marchinhas was imported from Portugal. Local productions would emerge with compositions by Eduardo Souto (Eu Quero É Beliscar, Goiabada, Só Teu Amor, Não Sei Dizê, Pai Adão), Freire Júnior (Ai, Amor) and Sinhô (Fala Baixo, Não Quero Mais, Sai da Raia).
Golden era
Machinha ruled over Brazilian music’s trends from the 30s on, interpreted by Carmem Miranda, Almirante, Mário Reis, Dalva de Oliveira, Silvio Caldas, Jorge Veiga and Black-Out. In the midst of confetti and sprayed ether, these singers gave life to the music of João de Barro, a.k.a. Braguinha (author of most remarkable songs like Chiquita Bacana and Yes! Nós Temos Bananas, with Alberto Ribeiro), Noel Rosa (Pierrô Apaixonado), Ary Barroso (Eu Dei) and Lamartine Babo (Linda Morena).
As the 60s kicked in, the popularization of Carnival parades set the beginning of the rise of samba-enredo and the fall of marchinha. José Roberto Kelly was one of the last marchinha composers, nonetheless writing some of the most renowned singles, like Cabeleira do Zezé and Mulata Iê-Iê-Iê. Military censorship along the decade caused the style to go underground, except for a few isolated enterprises such as Caetano Veloso’s Samba, Suor e Cerveja and Chico Buarque’s O Boi Voador. Braguinha and Alberto Ribeiro’s Balancê, written in 1937, was turned into a top hit when Gal Costa recorded it in 1980 – and that was marchinha’s last breath.
Songs
Ô Abre Alas (Chiquinha Gonzaga)
Cidade Maravilhosa (André Filho) – Aurora Miranda
Pierrô Apaixonado (Noel Rosa e Heitor dos Prazeres)
Touradas em Madri (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro)
Chiquita Bacana (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro) – Emilinha Borba
Taí (Joubert de Carvalho) – Carmen Miranda
Florisbela (Nássara e Frazão)
A Jardineira (Benedito Lacerda e Humberto Porto)
O Teu Cabelo Não Nega (Irmãos Valença e Lamartine Babo) – Castro Barbosa
Yes, Nós Temos Bananas (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro)
Sassaricando (Luís Antônio, Jota Júnior e Oldemar Magalhães) – Rita Lee
Linda Morena (Lamartine Babo)
Alá-Lá-Ô (Haroldo Lobo e Nássara)
Mamãe Eu Quero (Jararaca e Vicente Paiva) – Carmen Miranda
Eu Dei (Ary Barroso) – Carmen Miranda
Pirata da Perna de Pau (João de Barro)
Aurora (Roberto Riberti e Mário Lago)
Cachaça (Lúcio de Castro, Heber Lobato, Marinósio Filho e Mirabeau) – Carmen Costa
Me Dá Um Dinheiro Aí (Homero Ferreira, Glauco Ferreira e Ivan Ferreira)
Mulata Iê-Iê-Iê (José Roberto Kelly) – Emilinha Borba
Cabeleira do Zezé (João Roberto Kelly e Roberto Faissal) – Jorge Goulart
Maria Sapatão (Chacrinha)
Balancê (João de Barro e Alberto Ribeiro) – Gal Costa
Coisa Acesa (Moraes Moreira e Fausto Nilo) – Moraes Moreira