The course offers a journey through Brazilian popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will explore the origins and transformations of musical genres such as samba, chorinho, maracatu, forro, bossa nova, MPB, axe music, rap, and funk. We will follow the careers of some of the biggest names in Brazilian popular music. Among other things, we will study historical and sociological aspects of music, the relationship between popular culture and literary culture in Brazil, and the poetic aspects of some song lyrics. In addition to listening to music, the course requires the reading of some reference texts. All levels of Portuguese are welcome.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
The course offers a journey through Brazilian popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will explore the origins and transformations of musical genres such as samba, chorinho, maracatu, forro, bossa nova, MPB, axe music, rap, and funk. We will follow the careers of some of the biggest names in Brazilian popular music. Among other things, we will study historical and sociological aspects of music, the relationship between popular culture and literary culture in Brazil, and the poetic aspects of some song lyrics. In addition to listening to music, the course requires the reading of some reference texts. All levels of Portuguese are welcome.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.