Music, Migrancy, and Modernity: A Study of Brazilian Forr

Abstract

Chapter 1 deals with the genres that are considered under the umbrella term Forro, including baiao, xote, arrasta-pe, xaxado, coco, rojao, and forro itself, detailing each of them. Chapter 2 offers an overview of Forro music in the mass media during the 20th century, with a focus on the most influential Northeastern migrant musicians in each period. Chapter 3 presents an ethnographic account of the various ways that different social classes are practicing Forro today, and highlights the multiple "modernity" discourses at work when discussing Forro as an event. The final chapter deals with the styles of dancing associated with Forro music, how music and dance affect humans in general, and in which ways it helped Northeastern migrants in Sao Paulo to adapt in their new environment and improve their chances of surviving and succeeding.