[R]existir: a performance da Vintena Brasileira

Abstract

This work investigates the performance of Vintena Brasileira, an orchestra conducted by André Marques, a pianist, composer, and arranger from São Paulo, Brazil. The orchestra emerged from Brazilian rhythms workshops initiated in 2003. Vintena Brasileira is based, as described on its official website, on the principles of Música Universal, as conceived by Hermeto Pascoal. This term is employed by the musician in an attempt to describe his musical system, which was developed through an intense rehearsal regime between 1981 and 1993 in the Jabour neighborhood, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. The practices developed there established an artistic-pedagogical environment referred to in the literature as Escola Jabour, from which André Marques and, consequently, Vintena Brasileira are recognized as offshoots by specialized literature. Motivated by my previous participation in the group between 2017 and 2018 and the ensuing human interactions and relationships, this study aims to comprehend the main connections between the concept of Música Universal from Escola Jabour and the creative, transmission, and musical performance processes of Vintena Brasileira. In order to construct a comprehensive understanding of the proposed theme, this study is grounded in the field of performance studies from an ethnomusicological perspective. In this regard, I propose reflections that extend beyond the musical fact itself, encompassing individuals within their contexts, interactions, conceptions, audience, time, space, and other relevant aspects to attain a holistic and contextual comprehension of the group. To achieve the intended objectives, the methodological outline of this study encompasses bibliographic research, documental research, and semi-structured interviews. The analyses and interpretations were developed by integrating theoretical perspectives from musical performance studies, the empirical and reflective perspectives derived from specific literature on Hermeto Pascoal's Música Universal, and the empirical dimensions generated during the research process. The findings point to a performance that is characterized as a result of lived experiences in social-interactional processes, which are reflected in the sonic-structural and contextual elements of the orchestra, interwoven with concepts, techniques, and procedures of Música Universal, encompassing dimensions of intuition, orality, improvisation, and collectivity. Consequently, new interactions and experiences are generated through the products and ramifications of this performance.