Choro: an introduction (part I)

This is a short introductory class on the origins and development of Choro, from the early Lundus and Polkas, to the Golden Age of Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim. All the most important names in the Choro history will be mentioned here, together with suggested discography and playlists...
If you are interested in learning how to play choro, check out part 2 of this video: • Choro: how to play (pa...
www.ernestonazareth150anos.com (for Ernesto Nazareth's scores and bio)
Want more? visit www.henriquepiano.com

[@gustavoabreu3097]

Ernesto Nazareth 💚💛

[@nekokate3904]

Thanks so much! This is by far the best Choro introduction in English I can find, super helpful for people don't understand Portuguese

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

I'm happy to help!

[@Jazzmarcel]

Thanks for the history lesson!........ Brazilian culture is incredible!

[@leahnicholson7471]

I just happened to be at one of the Choro Jam Session in Irkustk, Russia. Fell in love with it. Learning Portuguese now and planning my trip to Brazil. Thanks for the lecture ❤️

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That’s amazing! Every country has its Choro niche. I hope you have an incredible trip to Brazil!

[@TkTulio]

My wife is Russian, and lives in Brazil, depending when you are coming she can show some touristic places for you, I'm also musician =) gl In the travel

[@MihailKsida]

Thank you so much for a lecture, very inspiring! Soon I will play some Choros in concert with my quartet:) Greetings from Odessa, Ukraine!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Михаил Ксида thank you! I would love to hear your quartet! Keep spreading choro around! Make sure to add some Ukrainian flavors 😎

[@MihailKsida]

@@HenriqueEisenmann be sure) will play one of tunes of Waldir Azevedo on folk instrument, sopilka:)

[@AntigoniGoniguitar]

Everything about this video is absolutely brilliant! From the narration, the playing and the precious info to the shirt and the charisma of Henrique!

[@patrickselden5747]

Thanks, Henrique! I'm a "Brazilianist" gringo pandeiro-player who loves choro, and you've taught me so much about the music in this video. ☝️😎

[@alejandrodesantana9176]

Thank you so much for this! I'm Brazilian on my dad's side and since I'm studying music composition in college, I'm trying to reconnect with my roots and bring some of that flavor into what I do

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

This is great! What a beautiful process to dive into your roots!

[@edthewave]

You have an incredible musical heritage to draw from. Brazil has some of the most fantastic music in the whole world, in my opinion.

[@StephiSensei26]

Brilliant! Thanks so much. I play some Villa Lobos on Guitar, and to have your historical and cultural background info is absolutely priceless!

[@WildwoodSon]

I first learned about Choro when I bought the CD released by David Grisman of the music of Jacob do Bandolim. This introduced Choro to American bluegrass players and fans. His band mate, Mike Marshall, helped popularize the genre in the US as well. Amazing music! Thank you for this history lesson.

[@6fretless]

I just stumbled on to this...and loved this video! Subscribed, thank you!

[@witchbitchgirl]

I can't believe this knowledge is free, thank you for sharing!

[@tizianoslaiferbassplayer8852]

Great.. Thank you very much.....

[@marciocorrea8531]

As a Brazilian with relatives of all colors and who grew up in a very mixed neighborhood, I´d like to make some clarifications: even though it was (and continues to be) a national shame the abolishment of slavery so late as 1888, only 5% of afro-brazilians were still slaves at that time. Second: the immigration of "white europeans" only took place in the South of Brazil, not in the whole country. Third: our most famous sculptor was a black man (XvIII century), our most famous writer was a black man (XIX Century). Our most famous poet was also a black man (XIX Century). One of the first Brazilian President, early XX Century, was a mulato. Our first music recorded in vinil was a samba played by black composers (beggining of XX Century). Imagine this in certain places in the "North"... Forth: there was no segregation among white and black in schools, public places, movie teathers, transportation, etc. During WWII, white and black Brazilian soldiers shared the same barracks (just see old images from urban areas in Brazil and from WWII). In summary: what we have in Brazil is more a "social racism", rather then a "blood racism". One huge challenge in Brazil now is to offer conditions for afro-descendents achieve the same opportunities (education and professional skills) that white people have. We do have racist people unfortunately (and they get in real trouble when caught), but not a systemic racism as you may find in some places of the world....

[@anujnagarajan9628]

Ola Henrique, Tudo Bem? I am so happy I found your amazing channel. I absolutely LOVE your videos! Over the last 2 years I've began a deep exploration into the rich musical history of Brazilian music, after falling in love with the mesmerizing music of the master Joao Gilberto. As a musician myself, watching your videos has greatly helped me understand the complex rhythmic and harmonic intricacies of Brazilian music in a clear and engaging way. We are all very blessed to have such skilled musician like yourself be our tour guide through Brazilian music history, so please keep making videos! Also please let me know how I can support your channel financially , I want to see you make tons videos well into the future. Obrigado and lots of love from your friend in Toronto, Canada. - J.N

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Thank you so much for your kind message! This is a vast universe to explore, and it never ceases to amaze us.. I will soon post some more lectures.. I’m hoping to visit Toronto some time soon, I’m not too far in NYC. If you wanna help, please follow me on Instagram and check out some of our albums on Spotify, the most recent one is a big tribute to Brazil… Obrigado! Abraço!!

[@itsinis]

Wonderful lecture! Thank you! I'm learning a lot.

[@Eyzostouten]

Absolutely fantastic video! Thank you so much, this was exactly what I needed to open my open my hart for choro and know where to search. What a beautyfull style! Viva Brasil, Viva Choro!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Viva o Brasil!

[@npsantoss]

24:30 Hermeto Pascoal. My favorite too... 😁😁😁

[@npsantoss]

tem o Egberto Gismonti tbm... Nossa tanto gênio!

[@williamreeve475]

Very cool. Thank you

[@ameliamctavish]

Choro is one of the focuses of the IGCSE Music exam in 2024. Your videos are so helpful and I'll definitely share them with my students!

[@zkafel]

Loved this video!!! Thank you

[@chrispoulin5902]

great music. swinging! I really liked fon fon nice tune.

[@shahinfiroozmand5819]

Incredible scholarship, beautiful speaking and playing. Thank you.

[@MarceloHCanal]

Henrique Tenho acompanhado seu caminho desde sua passagem tão importante pela comunidade da Escoa Rudolf Steiner e o estímulo que você trouxe para os jovens naquela ocasião para eles se dedicarem à música que havia ali em grande potencial. Agora vendo esta beleza deste seu trabalho, você traz sua visão, tão genuína sobre um tema já tão debatido. Voce acessa esta fonte e nos revela um conteúdo ao mesmo tempo original e novo com um frescor e uma rica estética. Muito lindo Parabéns

[@isaacaizenman3040]

Very interesting, very nice Video. You are very talented !!!

[@DerekDibbern]

Thank you so much!

[@earfulaudio5199]

You are an amazing musician, and an informed Maestro. Gracias!

[@fugmopoly]

love this video!! i'm doing a presentation on Choro and this was so interesting

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

I hope this was helpful to your presentation! Good luck!

[@fugmopoly]

@@HenriqueEisenmann it was!! i even learned a choro song called "Tico Tico no Fuba" on the piano to accompany my presentation. Thank you!

[@carstarsarstenstesenn]

This video helped a lot. Thanks!

[@LokeLanify]

This Video is exactly what I was searching, thank you for posting

[@53gitaar]

Woa Henrique .. what a brilliant lesson & playing . Thank you !

[@bertalink]

Really enjoyed this video and the examples you played. Will look at part II too.

[@MattLeGroulx]

Great video, looking forward to exploring your channel!

[@davidrumpler5528]

Great job Henrique!

[@violam5741]

Awesome! Thank you for your two choro-videos! Could you continue with more videos? I would love to learn more about history and theory! :)

[@stringbenderbb]

Awesome video and ...leasson. And i am a metal guy with a interest in gypsy jazz and watched it all. Brazil pulls me.

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That's great! I was a metalhead myself before I dived into choro. There's something about the virtuosity and technical challenge in choro that reminds me of metal..

[@Rupert.Funnyhat]

Your enthusiasm is infectious!

[@mnadezhdaglushko6255]

Excellent video, thank you! :)

[@LokeLanify]

This video is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for posting

[@Justin-mv9vb]

Thank you for the lesson! Also, that shirt is amazing 🤩

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Thanks a lot! LOL, that's my best shirt!

[@lucaluca538]

Bellissimoo video!

[@daviraftopoulosoliveira3731]

Excelente

[@stevebcaz]

Great intro to Choro, Years ago I've played a few Choro on classical guitar by Villa-Lobos but never really learned the roots of the Choro.I learned a lot from your talk. Excellent, Thanks much!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That’s great, Villa-Lobos is incredible, and he was born listening to this music, have you ever played his preludes? Thanks!

[@martinjones5965]

Absolutely glued to your presentation - your style is very engaging and enthusiasm contagious.

[@Dart3r]

Muito Obrigado !!

[@peterweltweit]

great!!!

[@whatevermaigret4026]

Dude, this is awesome! Please, do some lessons on lundu as well!

[@mandalapelucia]

Muy lindo lo que haces! gracias! aprendí mucho!

[@odilelavault3481]

Thanks, Henrique, great class. I play musette accordion and I like how choro expands the European roots when it gets mixed up with the afro rhythms.

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That's amazing, I love musette accordion. That's exactly where a lot of the melodic material of choro came from...

[@TobiaMusic]

I imagined it, however, in fact the musicians you mentioned are very important to explain the origin of the choro. and among these there is also Gismonti who was clearly inspired by the fathers of the choro. Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you both for how you explain the origin of the choro but also how you play it, congratulations you are very good! Greetings from Sicily

[@itsRemco]

This is a very good video, thank for the effort of making this! I'll refer to this video when it comes to explanation

[@intoch1]

Excelente conteúdo. Obrigado!

[@ornleifs]

Have recently gotten interested in Brazilian music and found this - very informative thanks a lot.

[@swingbossa]

Obrigado. I'm glad you mentioned how some modern players "stick to the book" which is missing the point, IMHO. Many who come from classical training have a struggle to free themselves from the paper and take risks playing with melodies and harmonies, but it's a worthwhile journey. I also think it's worthwhile to point out the effect recording had on both instrumentation and tempos, since early acoustic horns couldn't capture quiet string instruments as well as they could pianos, horns, and percussion. Having only 2.5 - 3 minutes per song also influenced tempos, as I see it, because some of the recordings prior to the LP era seem much too fast to me. This is also true of many other music genres, and to me a lot of those pieces sound better at somewhat slower tempos.

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That's an excellent point Adam. Recording technology definitely affected the way this music was played, and how it is understood nowadays. I am sure that back in that time, musicians would jam over a piece for long periods of time, improvising, dancing, having fun. Then once they entered a studio, they would perform a "well-behaved" short version...

[@swingbossa]

@@HenriqueEisenmann obrigado! This point applies to all genres of music including classical, blues, jazz, and others.

[@tubingstream]

Wow!!! Henrique, thank you so much for your very informative and exciting explanation of choro. Loved it!!!

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Fascinating and inspiring. Thank you from Oregon USA PS. I am making a Cavaquinho.

[@nandomichelin]

Obrigado pela maravilhosa aula Henrique!!! Adoro a sua música. Abraço!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Grande Nando! A admiração é mútua! Um abração!

[@pilotdrew85]

very interesting video! I am an American mandolin player who mainly plays bluegrass but I have learned a small handful of choros from Mike Marshall's online class and book. Very cool to learn more about the music, thank you!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

That's great, I'm glad to hear you have dipped your toes in some choros. Have you checked out the following mandolin players: Hamilton de Holanda, Danilo Brito, Fabio Peron?

[@pilotdrew85]

@@HenriqueEisenmann Hamilton yes, he’s done a few things with Mike too. I’ll have to check out the others, thanks!

[@alicemorita8240]

Canal maravilhoso! A maioria dos canais que eu sigo sao em Portugues, ai nao consigo mostrar pro meu namorado e meus amigos aqui no UK, ai achei seu canal e achei otimo. Muito bem explicado, claro e com muito mais propriedade e conhecimento do eu eu jamais conseguiria explicar pra eles. Muito grata!

[@ronaisraelkolat8208]

your'e great!, thank you so much, interesting and deep, love your smile

[@TobiaMusic]

I hope that in the second part you can mention the immense Egberto Gismonti. however compliments sounds great and you explain just as well

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

I am a huuuuuge fan of Gismonti. He is potentially my #1 favorite pianist....

[@dannieldf]

Cara você toca demais! E entende demais. Eu mesmo não sabia dessas coisas. Grande vídeo.

[@eltony586]

Muito obrigado Henrique, As a mature student of classical guitar I have one choro in my repertoire by Semenzato, 'Divagando' and have listened to many choros. I particularly like the popular piece 'Sons de carrilhoes'. It was through this exploration that I realized that choro is the original national music of Brasil. It is interesting that you mentioned ragtime music because I thought I noticed a similarity to choro particularly in the B section of many choros. What do you think?

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

You are absolutely right. There is a fascinating parallel between the history/music of Ragtime and Choro. Both genres were born from the mixture of European ballroom music and local popular rhythms (mostly African-rooted). The forms on both genres originated from the European "Waltz" form (3 parts, each part on a different key - normally Dominant and Subdominant); in the US this is also called "March Form". The similarities are endless. Sons de Carrilhões is indeed a wonderful choro!

[@louisarques]

Bravo Henrique!

[@ericboberic]

Great video, bro. Thanks!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

It’s my pleasure!

[@nikolashen]

Aula incrível!!!

[@chorocampnewengland5994]

Terrific presentation, Henrique! With your permission I'll share it on the Choro Camp New England facebook page and website. This is exactly the kind of intro we need more of in English!

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Thank you very much! Sure, feel free to share the video! And you can also check the second part for a concise summary of different musical techniques to play Choro..

[@chorocampnewengland5994]

@@HenriqueEisenmann I look forward to it! Muito obrigado!

[@kanyestan2400]

Interesting

[@truth-uncensored2426]

You don't talked about Joaquim Antônio da Silva Calado, which was actually the main creator of Choro, this is documented in some academic studies even from the US. Pixinguinha was probably the most important composer of the genre, but he was not the spearhead of the movement. Also you don't mentioned Chiquinha Gonzaga, which was the first pianist of Choro and one of the greatest female composers in brazilian music. Apart from that it was a great video.

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Calado and Gonzaga are indeed fundamental figures in the birth of choro; some say they even had a quick romantic affair 😍. Gonzaga was really important for the acceptance of Choro among white elites who previously abhorred it. But normally just 2-3 pieces from them are played in rodas (jam sessions). From a performance perspective, Nazareth’s or Pixinguinha’s music is played waaaay more often..

[@nugmontoro8683]

I like that little lundu piece you played to demonstrate. Can you name some sheet music like that?

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Lundu is a complicated genre. It was mostly improvised, so there’s very little documentation... here’s a good video of a traditional lundu. You can find the score if you search for “Lundum partitura” on google. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnmViZ6QirJqeK8

[@nugmontoro8683]

muito obrigado!

[@valentinasestieri9329]

Thanks fo this lesson. It born in the same time of the tango and milongas y candombe en Montevido and Buenos Aires?

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

Exactly! Also at the same time as the Danzón in Cuba, or the Ragtime in New Orleans....

[@mandalapelucia]

what about the list that you mencioned?

[@OdinComposer]

Good videon

[@MattLeGroulx]

I'd love to watch your lecture on Hermeto but I can't find it on your page.

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

I have to upload that lecture again, I'll so it soon :)

[@MattLeGroulx]

@@HenriqueEisenmann Obrigado, that would be amazing!

[@singhjobim9719]

@@HenriqueEisenmann Thank you for filling in the blanks. I replayed this lecture over 2 days because there is so much information. Your fluency in both languages is what makes the complexity of Brazilian music understandable. I fell in love with the music in 1976; NPR did a series www.brazilianhour.org/

[@JJKrossOfficial]

Hey! Super interesting lecture! Do you have any literature or some scientific articles or books about choro, you can recommend? Where did you study all that information :D

[@MarceloHCanal]

Henrique você acha que é possível se associar a palavra Choro ao campo harmônico a menor por se tratar de uma melodia triste?

[@trngfr]

How can I get started learning Choro on guitar?

[@HenriqueEisenmann]

You should learn some choros by Garoto, should be easy to find on Google. Also, check out Canhoto, Dilermando Reis. They are old school choro guitarists… Then check out the modern cats: Rafael Rabelo, Yamandu Costa, Marco Pereira….

[@gustavoabreu3097]

What was the most scandalous of chiquinha gonzaga was that she use to date very young men relative to her age

[@teyodumurz]

Henrique is so fucking attractive

[@peterrowan9955]

‘Number one most important composer of Brazilian music’ >doesn’t say Villa Lobos

[@davidantas3803]

Vila Lobos was very important for the elite. He did some music inspired by Choro but he didn't do it for the most part of the population. Pixinguinha went to France and was extremely important for the genre. Villa is my favorite composer of all time, but you can't compare both of them. They are for sure one of the greatest