Ali está o Senhor Padilha

Melody - Gustavo Barboza from the opera "Xerimbabo"

Jose Carlos Vasconcellos

Ali está o Senhor Padilha,
Que está a me sacanear.
Aquele que me sacaneia
Naquela cadeira se posta.
Chama-se Padilha
E isto é só uma amostra...
Senhor Padilha
A me sacanear,
E não é só ele,
Mas todos vocês.
Sim, é ele, Padilha,
O que veio da Ilha,
Que me pisa e maltrata,
E que quase me mata,
E mal sabe Padilha
Que também vim de ilha.

I think you might be asking why I am sending you a tango as an example of Brazilian music. Well, first of all because, although tango is worldwide known as Argentinian music, some recent researches have proved that the first tangos were composed in Rio de Janeiro. You will find many examples of Brazilian tangos, such as "Hoje Quem Paga Sou Eu", "Um Tango Para Theresa" and "Odeon". Second, because of this tango's special form. "Xerimbabo" is an "opera buffa", full of wit, as you will certainly notice in the resemblance of the first chords to the beginning of the Habanera of Bizet's "Carmen". And now, the real Brazilian component of this song: the tango is built on variations of a mourning song of the black communities from Southern Bahia, which was noted by 19th century musicologists, and published by "Bibliotheca Nacional do Rio de Janeiro" (SAYÃO, Pelópidas Abravanel; "O Canto das Plantações de Cacau", 1910). This theme (Eb - F - Gb - Eb) is the Leitmotiv for the whole seventh tableau of the opera.

Needless to say, the song is incredibly popular in Brazil, especially - of course - in Bahia. This is why this tango - based on the mourning songs I have mentioned - has been such a hit.

Pablo


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