Capoeira Mandinga Shanghai

By Mario Osava

Credit:Mario Osava/IPS

SÃO LUIS, Brazil, Dec 17 (IPS) – They call it an orchestra, but this atypical all-percussion group is far from featuring the range of musicians found in a conventional ensemble. Which does not mean that the music they make is not rich and varied, as the young amateur musicians produce an amazing array of sounds.

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Mestre Suassuna playing the berimbau
Magnificent display of how the berimbau is such a cool musical instrument.

1. Introduction

Originally brought to Brazil in the 1500′s by Bantu slaves from Africa and used to accompany the famous dance called capoeira (a sort of a martial art were two fighters are training while berimbau, pandeiro, atabaque and agogo bells play the rhythm).

The berimbau was also a means of communication used by slaves to prevent being understood by their masters and is considered a sacred instrument.

It is consists of… (Read more)

Capoeira Song Compendium Version 1.0 International (PDF, 400 Kb)
A compendium of the most widely sung Capoeira songs with their English translations. Plus a guide on Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation, a capoeira glossary, an article about religion and its connection to Capoeira and other articles about Capaoeira songs.

Capoeira Lyrics: Cantigas, Ladainhas, Maculelê (PDF, 1 Mb)
Popular Capoeira’s songs lyrics, 60 pages without translation.

Capoeira’s Songs Lyrics Pack (.doc in zip-archive, 187 kb)
8 documents with popular songs lyrics.