What will become of the lilac lamp’s diffused light? Voices, politics and performances in Brazil (1940-1950)

Abstract

This article deals with the musical ambience of an era, or the social environment of a subgenre: the sambolero, fusion of the genres samba-canção and bolero, occurred in Brazil between the 1940s and 1950s. The musical practices of the time are studied in the light of the performance and movement concepts of Paul Zumthor (1997, 2012), cultural hybridity of García-Canclini (1997) and authors who provide pertinent information for the study of the period through bibliographical and phonographic research. The idea of the vocal personality of the radio – media singers and hegemonic interpreters – gives us clues to what was heard at the time and allows understanding aesthetic taste in relation to the sound landscape and its social and political environment. We consider this study relevant to the understanding of Brazilian musical aesthetic models and their cultural implications in the middle of the 20th century.