Maria Moita by Rosalia de Souza
Rosalia de Souza is a Brazilian bossa nova singer who was born in Rio de Janeiro and traveled to Italy in 1989. Her home district Nilopolis is famous for its samba Beija-Flor, and in Italy she worked with mostly Brazilian artists and studied Cuban percussion, jazz and its history, and musical theory. In 2003 she released her debut album Garota Moderna. Maria Moita is the first single off this album. (3)
Medium: Acoustic guitar, maracas, synthesizer, piano, flute, de Souza’s vocals, drumset, bass guitar, and saxophone.
Meter: Duple.
Tempo: Fast, likely allegro or quicker.
Rhythm: The rhythm is complex, repetitive, yet flexible.
Harmony: Minor blues scale is dominant as seen in the riff. Simple intervals like seconds and thirds are used in the accompaniment and the riff. Mainly diatonic.
Melody: Soft but not too lyrical melody that does not commit itself to either conjunct or disjunct movement. The range is quite wide, though mostly stays low.
Form: The riff is first heard in the piano but then the vocals as well. The form after that is verse, flute solo, verse, flute solo, riff, verse, saxophone solo, piano solo, verse with the last line repeated three times, riff and then the music fades to silence. It is not too different from popular music because the verses are structured in the same general way, and around the same length of time.
Texture: Homophonic, melody with chordal accompaniment, first seen in regards to the riff and how it is accompanied by and also imitated by other instruments, and in the vocal verses there are instruments backing it up. The riff can be considered a melodical theme, and with that in mind, there is no time when two melodies will overlap or contrast. It is one at a time and with accompaniment.
Tonality: Minor blues scale.
Dynamics: Mezzo forte, with only very slight changes in dynamics, namely fades to silence and parts where there are less instruments at play.
1. Conte, Nicola. "Maria Moita." Rosalia de Souza. Garota Moderna, 2003. CD.
2. muzofil.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.muzofil.com/uploads/posts/2010-08/1282111942_rosalia-de-souza.jpg>
3. family-affair.it. "Rosalia de Souza." Family Affair Distributions. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.family-affair.it/querypress.asp?IDPress=189>
Medium: Acoustic guitar, maracas, synthesizer, piano, flute, de Souza’s vocals, drumset, bass guitar, and saxophone.
Meter: Duple.
Tempo: Fast, likely allegro or quicker.
Rhythm: The rhythm is complex, repetitive, yet flexible.
Harmony: Minor blues scale is dominant as seen in the riff. Simple intervals like seconds and thirds are used in the accompaniment and the riff. Mainly diatonic.
Melody: Soft but not too lyrical melody that does not commit itself to either conjunct or disjunct movement. The range is quite wide, though mostly stays low.
Form: The riff is first heard in the piano but then the vocals as well. The form after that is verse, flute solo, verse, flute solo, riff, verse, saxophone solo, piano solo, verse with the last line repeated three times, riff and then the music fades to silence. It is not too different from popular music because the verses are structured in the same general way, and around the same length of time.
Texture: Homophonic, melody with chordal accompaniment, first seen in regards to the riff and how it is accompanied by and also imitated by other instruments, and in the vocal verses there are instruments backing it up. The riff can be considered a melodical theme, and with that in mind, there is no time when two melodies will overlap or contrast. It is one at a time and with accompaniment.
Tonality: Minor blues scale.
Dynamics: Mezzo forte, with only very slight changes in dynamics, namely fades to silence and parts where there are less instruments at play.
1. Conte, Nicola. "Maria Moita." Rosalia de Souza. Garota Moderna, 2003. CD.
2. muzofil.com. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.muzofil.com/uploads/posts/2010-08/1282111942_rosalia-de-souza.jpg>
3. family-affair.it. "Rosalia de Souza." Family Affair Distributions. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.family-affair.it/querypress.asp?IDPress=189>