“Serene night”: vocal style in acoustic recordings (1902-1912)

Abstract

From 1902 to 1927 were produced in Brazil circa of seven thousand acoustic sound recordings of the first Brazilian professional popular music artists, as well as genres that were the basis for modern Brazilian popular music together with solos, duets and overtures of opera and operetta standards. The early song recordings, the first available register of performances made by Brazilian popular musicians themselves, are valuable records of popular music of oral tradition in Brazil. Listening to them we might have the idea
that they are “authentic” samples of traditional singing style for their proximity to Nineteenth Century practices. However, when comparing the singing styles of those pioneer stars, and their trajectory in the music industry, it is possible to perceive the subtle but important recording technological impact on the production and consumption of popular music practices. Recordings of the same traditional song (“Noite serena” [“Serene Night”]) with Bahiano (Zon-o-phone 506, 1902-1904), and Mário Pinheiro (Victor 98928, 1908- 1912), will serve as a case for analysis.